Publications

Having avoided self-scrutiny for most of its sixty year history, a youth agency is forced to take a hard look at its future when finances begin to decline. The executive director and the board president hold differing views on the appropriate course of action, and the reader is asked to decide which position is in the best interests of the organization.

Outside consultants to governing boards are commonly asked to clarify the appropriate roles for the board, executive director, and staff--who does what and who should. The "problem," however, is rarely what it seems to be to participants. Understanding the complex environments in which boards do their work is key to effective consulting and to achieving successful outcomes for a board. In this case the reader is challenged to "see" the agency in its context with a variety of interpretive lenses.