Composition board history, culture, and organizational foundations

National Youth Organization Case Study

Understanding the composition of your board and the history and culture of your organization, how would you go about laying the groundwork for the significant changes you believe need to be undertaken?

The process of engineering a fundamental shift in the way a complex organization conducts its business is an enormous task, one which requires both an ability to independently deliver management directives, and to work collaboratively with key stakeholders who have a vested interest in the organization's eventual restructuring. As the president of a large youth services organization with over 100 chapters in local communities across America, it is my responsibility to ensure that the organization's collective goals are prioritized ahead of those devised by individual local chapters and their elected leaders. When the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) was confronted with similar financial and organizational difficulties in the early 1990's, for example, Chief Scout Executive Ben Love was forced to make several targeted cuts and consolidations to the BSA's national apparatus, including the merging of six regional chapters into four, and a reshuffling of leadership positions within the group's Relationships Division (Thompson, 1992).

Considering the construction of my organization's board, which is comprised of 51 individuals, ranging from the 30 elected representatives from the organization's largest chapters to the 21 business leaders and ex-officio members from the political realm, it is important to assess the impact of the proposed changes on each of these key stakeholder groups. By consolidating the organization's plethora of decentralized programs and activities, I will effectively strip many of my board members of their vested authority, so it is crucial to express the benefits of my proposal in realistic terms. By making a detailed presentation to show the entire board how dire the organization's financial health has become, I hope to convince these board members that it is better to be a part of a thriving organization, rather than remain the leader of a defunct and devalued local chapter. The choice to "increase chapter dues, consolidate chapters, re-allocate funds through subsidies from national to the poorer chapters, and implement tight financial controls" (Case Study) will obviously be difficult for many board members to accept, but by convincing them that this route presents the only viable path to future profitability, I hope to appeal to the board's sense of pragmatism and prudence.

2.) Where would you start and what would you do next? Provide the reasons why you would make these changes.