The Governing Body Role: Problems and Perceptions in Implementation

This paper focuses on problems of implementing the role of govern ing bodies in the voluntary sector. It draws primarily on a case study of local management committees in a national service-providing welfare agency in England. An examination was made of the percep tions and assumptions held by staff and governors about the imple mentation of key functions of governing bodies, including policy making, planning, securing resources, monitoring service quality, and controlling staff. The paper discusses themes that emerge from the case study and suggests that the governing body role in the vol untary sector is most usefully conceptualized as interlinked and in terdependent with staff roles. Agency culture and organizational structure are seen to have an important impact on the nature of the relationship between staff and their boards. Some proposals are made for tackling problems that arise around the implementation of the governing body role in the voluntary sector.