Abstract
There are very many people today who have various leadership capabilities in nonprofit organizations. By the virtue of their position as trustees, they deserve to have ample knowledge, enough wisdom, and also have a selfless consideration for the good of everyone. ‘The book Creating Caring Capable Boards: Reclaiming the Passion for Active Trusteeship’ by Tyler Scott has focused on the values that should be achieved by trustee leaders for their services to be termed as effective and for the achievement of success in their administration. It has been able to present an effective leadership model for members of boards to achieve the best in their philosophy of service.
Introduction
This paper is a critical analysis of the models of leadership that were put forward and discussed by Tyler Scott in her book, “Creating caring capable boards: Reclaiming the passion for active trusteeship“. It has discussed some leadership models that can be used as frameworks for effective strategy implementation. In this manner, both inexperienced and experienced trustee members can be able to lead their organizations effectively and also renew their comprehension of the mission and visions of their organizations. This paper will act as a critic of the materials and models of the ideas that the author has presented in her book.
A critique of the book
In her book, Scott has focused on the issue of effectiveness in not-for-profit organizations’ boards. She has emphasized individualism, the eminent demise of the community, loss of communication between the organizations and the community, and loss of togetherness as factors that have led to the call for a new development and leadership approach in the organizations. Failure in the status of the common good for every person in the community has challenged and led to the failure of many boards today. To overcome this weakness, the author has insisted on the individuals responsible for active trusteeship to consider taking processes of depth education (Tyler, 2000).
One of the proposed approaches to the calling in trusteeship is “Depth Education.” Using this approach, board members are put in a situation where they have a deep understanding of the culture and the character of the organization. This on the other hand allows the people involved to act competently, with care and wisdom, and in a knowledgeable way. By Scott (2000, p. 150), “We need to take time out from our preoccupation with the concrete tasks in our lives and from an obsession with time to examine and evaluate what we are doing, why we are doing it, for whom, and for what larger and longer-term purpose”. This model has been referred to as Preparing-Leaders-And-Nurturing-Trustees. One of the key merits of the model is the sophistication and the thoughtfulness of the perspectives of the various challenges that the board might come across. According to Robinson (2001), a trustee or the board member is someone who should care and have much concern for the organization.
The book has a great positive impact on not-for-profit organizations to philanthropists, governors, and volunteers. There is a belief in the ability of the trustees and also the educators to influence the societies which they are serving in growth and the shaping of their common practices. The author has outlined the complexity of the literature found in the organizations which have had an impact on the community and which is of much help in the improvement of the clients’ and the community’s lives.
The PLANT approach has been developed in a manner that is long-term and very systematic. Due to this fact, it has the overall advantage of workability in almost all nonprofit organizations. For this to be effective, the leaders must focus their attention on the justifications laid down by Scott. One such justification is the inclusion of active involvement of the public and some other stakeholders who will in turn help in the delivery of several advantages in communication in as much as they might be short term.
On the other hand, there are some disadvantages in the application of Scott’s models. Due to the complexity of the book, it cannot help the new members who are in the process of grasping the responsibilities of the board members. This is mainly so because of the book’s insistence on the originality and customs of the issue of trusteeship. Scott has taken much of the time in putting across the importance of implementation of the new approaches to the board which according to her has lost the trusteeship tradition.
Another demerit that has made the context not good for everyone is the constant rooting of many historical perspectives. Most of this information seems irrelevant, complex, involving, and does not suit the needs of some readers as it does not match the current world. Another demerit to the concepts and the models is the philosophical approach in the explanation of the services of the board. This has demanded more than available attention from the board leaders and members. With this kind of approach, the board members are required to be committed, in-depth analysis, time, talent, and a lot of treasure. The approach thus reduces the number of trustees who get to understand and commit themselves to this level of responsibility.
Such weakness can be simplified by using other models. According to Widmer and Houchin (2000), trusteeship has been divided along with the courses of management, power, and management. The authors have comprehensively explained to the trustees about their roles and responsibilities. This differs from the philosophical approach in such a way that, they explain the issues more vaguely.
Conclusion
According to the reviewed work, there are a lot of responsibilities in the leadership styles and governance by board members in not-for-profit organizations. Scott has put focus on the traditions which seem to have been left out and those that need refurbishment by the leaders for the critical success of trusteeship. This paper has focused on some of the models discussed in the book and the underlying merits and demerits that accompany Scott’s models.
References
- Houchin, S. & Widmer, C. (2000) The Art of Trusteeship: The Nonprofit Board Member’s Guide to Effective Governance. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
- Robinson, M. (2001) Nonprofit Boards That Work: The End of One-Size-Fits-All Governance. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
- Scott, T. (2000) Creating Caring and Capable Boards: Reclaiming the Passion for Active Trusteeship. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.