A model of board management maturity is a tool to evaluate how well your board of directors is managing itself. Its purpose is to help board members improve performance and make the company more successful. The process typically involves a questionnaire that is self-administered after which a meeting with consultants to analyze the results. The majority of models employ three to five levels to assess different aspects of the board’s performance. The first level is characterized as impromptu, without formal standards or alignment. The third and the second levels are more defined and contain processes.

The most important element of any maturity model is the way it prioritizes your board’s education. Knowing your board’s current maturity level makes it easy to determine what skills you need to acquire next. Some models provide generalized estimates of how long it will take to go up a level (e.g. «A level change will take approximately six months with an average reduction of 25% in productivity».

Most boards begin at the bottom of the maturity scale and are the ones that are reluctantly acquiescent who are aware of their obligations and personal risk. They are hesitant to commit more time and resources than is needed to governance, as it takes them away from their primary tasks of managing.

They must be made to recognize that governing, is a distinct, distinct, and very different job, is not the same as executive management. It requires a completely distinct level of professional development assessment, evaluation, and funding. It’s a risky endeavor that requires a lot of imagination and understanding, as well as the willingness to take calculated risks in a complex and interconnected world of politics and economics.

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