The lack of diversity in the board and staff does not reflect the demographics of the community, potentially compromising the legitimacy of the organization and denying the organization the opportunity to limit its dependencies by not being embedded in its environment . What types of identities and competencies does the SLWDC board need to optimize effectiveness and meet the needs of SLWDC. What strategies and interventions may be needed to prepare and set expectations for the board and staff regarding upcoming board changes.
Research Question 1: What types of identities and competencies does the SLWDC board require to optimize effectiveness and meet the needs of LDCs. Research Question 3: What strategies and interventions might be needed to prepare and set expectations for the board and staff regarding pending board changes. Further, as SLWDC grows, it needs the board to help it build and maintain strategic partnerships that will allow.
What does not match is the composition of the board and the organization's programs, at least in terms of inclusivity. Work in this area indicates that the greater the dependence of an organization on its environment, the larger and more expert the board should be (Pfeffer, 1972), and that the board members' expertise, experience, personal characteristics and identities should be dictated by. the needs of the organization (legal, financial, strategic, etc.; Hillman et al., 2000; Hillman &. Dalziel, 2003). Each individual board member comes to the board with many identities and strengths of identification with each of them (Hillman et al., 2008).
Adding one board member from a racially or ethnically diverse background to the board can even be counterproductive (Bradshaw & Fredette, 2013; Fredette & Sessler Bernstein, 2019; Kanter, 1977).
SLWDC adds value to our community by providing excellent learning experiences for children
The survey contained six statements with responses ranked on a Likert scale, where one represented complete disagreement with the statement and five represented complete agreement. As mentioned, the statements were designed to understand stakeholder attitudes towards the SLWDC as a community and resource representative, as well as its legitimacy within the community. The survey results, presented below, show strong support for all six value statements, with a mean score ranging from 4.59 to 4.83 and a standard deviation ranging from .64 to .93.
SLWDC adds value to our community by providing celebrations of our culture
SLWDC is a resource for the entire community
SLWDC is instrumental in teaching our community youth about our wetlands
SLWDC supports community spirit through its events like the Rougarou Fest and Ball
SLWDC does a great job representing our entire community in its events and celebrations
A survey of the existing board members was deployed to establish demographic data, professional qualifications and competencies in the key areas of board effectiveness examined in the literature review, including law, finance, public relations, marketing, fundraising and. The board member survey was implemented in March 2020 via an email link to existing board members as well as two emeritus board members who had been removed from the board during this research. The board members include a number of professional areas from art to sales as well as other voluntary experience.
In consultation with the ED, and based on the board identity survey by Hillman et al (2000), the board member survey asked board members to rate their competence in a number of areas relevant to two of the four board member identities: support specialists, and influential people from the community.3 The areas of expertise and the number of board members who claim expertise. 3 The client was already aware that none of the board members were business experts (in Hillman et al.'s sense of the word). 7 To improve the effectiveness of the SLWDC board, what characteristics should the board look for in future board members.
The third theme is related to the second theme in that it also supports the board, but more so in the way of training and development so that board members can perform better (such as network training to identify and communicate with persons with access to resources needed .by SLWDC). In addition to diverse identities, the interviewees also identified specific individual and board abilities to look for in new board members. Board members were not as aware of organizing abilities or reconfiguration abilities of the board, although a couple were aware of a lack of KSAOs in these areas and said “[The board] needs more.
The final piece of information in this section is the organizational connections prospective board members should have or at least cultivate. In addition to data on the characteristics of prospective board members, interviewees were asked what was needed to support existing board members and close competency gaps that hinder board performance. Interviews indicate, however, that board members may not understand enough about the organization's strategic planning and initiatives to provide input or demand accountability for the strategic plan.
Many interviewees noted that the board may rely too much on the ED to design strategy and implement it, and that they, the board members, provide. Target organizations and collaboration partners, the Executive Director and current board members may be asked to provide nominations in conjunction with the job description and diversity statement. The recommendations made are based on the results of two quantitative surveys deployed to existing board members and stakeholders and qualitative interviews of selected stakeholders.
Where previously self-appointed board members were appointed based on the fact that they could provide volunteers at events, the organization has evolved to need more. Provide SLWDC opportunities for board members to provide their input and viewpoints on problems, challenges or initiatives of SLWDC. To optimize the SLWDC board's effectiveness, what qualities should the board look for in future board members.
SLWDC Board members serve a three-year term, with the option to renew for a total of six years of service.
