Governance

Effective governance—the structures and processes for decision-making—plays a critical role in the success of every organization. CFAR has been privileged to work with hundreds of boards in public and private businesses, for-profit and non-profit organizations, family businesses, and professional societies and associations across the US. Our work centers on board assessment and board development, enhancing board and staff relationships, fostering communication between stakeholders, and ensuring that the system of governance, the parts and the whole, is working optimally—providing clear and cohesive decisions to advance business and mission objectives.

We know that all of our clients come from one-of-a-kind organizations, each with a unique purpose, cultural identity, and set of aspirations that should be reflected in the governance system—but know that doing so is not a simple task.

We know that modes of governance vary considerably from industry to industry, and that one size does not to fit all. CFAR has created structures and processes for the spectrum of governing bodies designed for their particular purpose, including:

Family governance

Advisory boards

Fiduciary boards

Association boards

Trustee boards

Professional society boards

Hospital and health system boards

Steering committees

Faculty and staff councils

Non-profit boards

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We are also adept at working with boards across multiple organizations when they have the common goal to achieve something together that they could not do alone (e.g., post-M&A health systems, organizations collaborating across an issue or a field to change policy, build capacity or create aligned strategy, etc.). We combine our governance, strategic, and cultural expertise with our clients’ deep understanding of and appreciation for their organizations to co-create governance systems and boards that will sustain the organizations for the road ahead. In our experience, it is this process of co-creating the desired results—versus the sole delivery of an expert report—that produces flexible and enduring outcomes. paper plane icon

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