Defining And Agreeing on the Board’s Role

Abstract

Many organisations rely on their constitutions almost exclusively for guidance on governance responsibilities and processes. As was described in the Governance Concepts section, a constitution or rules define the components of the contract between the owners (Members) and the organisation. While the contents of a constitution might be regarded as policy inasmuch as they provide clear guidelines about certain organisational matters, they are not policy in the manner outlined in the Policy Governance model.   The constitution (or rules) is, nonetheless, an important starting point for the development of policy. Any constitution needs to be interpreted and made operational. It is this process, and taking into account the Board’s legal and other responsibilities, that gives rise to the Board’s policy-making function.