Talk:Wikimedia Foundation Board Governance Committee/Governance review

The role of the Board

An interesting point emerged during a mailing list discussion of conflict of interest. It appears that the Board tends to view its role as being more executive and less strategic than I would have expected: in short to be acting more like the executive Board of Directors of a business. In parallel with that, it appears that the impetus for the Strategy/2016-2017 review is coming from the executive, who are shaoing the process and the agenda. I think this is the wrong way round. It is for the Board to monitor and steer the executive functions of the Foundation, via such activities as internal audit, but within the context of an overarching strategy determined by the Board. It is for the executive to develop business strategies to ensure the success of the business within the strategic dirction set by the Board. The Board members should be spending most of their time on preparing that direction and holding the executive to account. Of course it will come as no surprise when I say that I believe the Board should consult widely and especially engage with the wider community of contributors and users, and, just as importantly, look outside that community to obtain inspiration from, and bech-mark against other organisations and movements. At present I believe the Board, its advisors, and its thinking to be too much drawn from a small group of people who are deeply imbued with the past and current ways of doing things. Whether or not those ways are satisfactory for the present (and I have given reasons to believe that they are not), they will not serve for the future. The Board needs to look forwards and outwards. Rogol Domedonfors (talk) 12:44, 6 November 2016 (UTC)