Book Description
"This book should be in the library of everyone who serves--or aspires to serve--on the governing board of any organization, large or small, nonprofit or corporate. Better than any other available resource, it tells what the roles of board members are and what they must and shouldn't do. An indispensable guidebook to leadership excellence."
--George Weber, secretary general, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Geneva
"John Carver's Boards That Make a Difference was required reading for board members of the Calgary Philharmonic Society. It provided a clear and concise road map with which we carried out significant governance restructuring of the society."
James M. Stanford, president & CEO,, Petro-Canada, and past chairman of the Calgary Philharmonic Society, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
John Carver's groundbreaking Policy Governance model has influenced the way public and nonprofit boards operate around the world. Now, as widespread experience with the model continues to grow, Carver enriches his definitive exposition with updated policy samples, a new chapter on the process of policy development, and additional resources for various types of boards. He debunks the entrenched beliefs about board roles and functions that hamper dedicated board members. With creative insight and commonsense practicality, Carver presents a bold new approach to board job design, board-staff relationships, the chief executive role, performance monitoring, and virtually every aspect of the board-management relationship. In their stead, he offers a board model designed to produce policies that make a difference, missions that are clearly articulated, standards that are ethical and prudent, meetings, officers, and committees that work; and leadership that supports the fulfillment of long-term goals.
Customer Reviews:
Very Helpful.......2003-04-01
The world is full of experts at what is wrong with the things that we do. Dr. Carver has a rock-solid, well thought out suggestion concerning how to do it right. One reviewer complained that Dr. Carver's suggestions are not realistic. Right is not often realistic, but right is always right. It's far better to start with an ideal and compromise from that point than to capitulate from the outset. Boards that Make a Difference is well worth reading.
Idealistic.......1999-06-27
The carver style of governance is a tad idealistic and perhaps overly optimistic. I have read everything Dr Carver has written concerning this field and enjoy this material at an academic level. But when it comes to operationalizing this model in boardrooms I've seen it fail time and time again. Not to say that the model is flawed because in fact the model is normative and conceptually complete. However it doesn't capture that element of reality from which, in my experience, the model requires - practicality and real-world application. Dr Carver's notion that Boards can do without Finance and Audit Committees is very naive. Most consultants from the chartered accountant genre are saying the complete opposite. In fact most government policy initiatives are moving toward more control of financial affairs of organizations for boards from charts of accounts to fiscal policy. So I don't think the elimination of Finance and Audit Committees is realistic nor is it a terribly bright suggestion. I guess my only crticism is that the carver model is far to idealistic and philosophical for a practical application in the form Dr Carver suggests. Sorry but a hybrid model of traditional Board governance and the carver model may work given the commitment required from directors to follow-though on everything suggested in that system of governance,
A must-have for not-for-profits!.......1999-03-29
This book was the core piece of a radical change in our board room. It led us down the path we knew we wanted to go but didn't know how to get there. His model for board room organization could revolutionize boards of companies in transition, like those of the rural electric program in America. It's a road map for where you already know in your heart that you want to go.
Essential for public boards seeking to lead strategically.......1999-01-27
After 5 years on a local Board of Education I finally found a book that describes everything I know is wrong with board management practices in schools and nonprofit organizations. But that is the easy part. Carver offers sound alternatives to current practices that put the responsibility and the capability for strategic leadership right where it belongs--on the board.
I winced as I read Carver's description of reactive boards trapped in the "approval syndrome" in which boards rely on staff to bring issues and recommendations to them for approval. This pervasive practice not only takes board members out of the driver's seat, but it confuses the lines of accountability between the board and the CEO for the organization.
Carver offers a framework for changing all that by forcing the board to rethink all of its policy with an eye toward board-determined policies that operate at the highest level possible. In Carver's approach only four types of policies need to be set by the board: 1) "Ends" policies (board expectations), 2) Executive Limitations (the "don'ts" for the organization), 3) Board process policies and 4) Board-CEO relationship policies. *Everything* you need to be involved in can be fit into one of these four categories.
Want to learn how to stop working at the staff level and how to help your organization find a true sense of direction? Carver's book offers practical and straightforward ways of getting there.
Accessible, Codified Common Sense.......1999-01-24
Mr. Carver presents a very readable way of looking at how governing boards should work. His theories are logical and his arguments pursuasive. He offers board members an intellectual framework to consider how their organizations are running. The book is prescriptive, but not preachy. I was very surprised to find it sensible after hearing so much hype from "converts" to his method.
Book Description
In this revised and updated third edition, Carver continues to debunk the entrenched beliefs and habits that hobble boards and to replace them with his innovative approach to effective governance. This proven model offers an empowering and fundamental redesign of the board role and emphasizes values, vision, empowerment of both the board and staff, and strategic ability to lead leaders. Policy Governance gives board members and staff a new approach to board job design, board-staff relationships, the role of the chief executive, performance monitoring, and virtually every aspect of the board-management relationship. This latest edition has been updated and expanded to include explanatory diagrams that have been used by thousands of Carver’s seminar participants. It also contains illustrative examples of Policy Governance model policies that have been created by real-world organizations. In addition, this third edition of Boards That Make a Difference includes a new chapter on model criticisms and the challenges of governance research.
Download Description
In this revised and updated third edition, Carver continues to debunk the entrenched beliefs and habits that hobble boards and to replace them with his innovative approach to effective governance. This proven model offers an empowering and fundamental redesign of the board role and emphasizes values, vision, empowerment of both the board and staff, and strategic ability to lead leaders. Policy Governance gives board members and staff a new approach to board job design, board-staff relationships, the role of the chief executive, performance monitoring, and virtually every aspect of the board-management relationship. This latest edition has been updated and expanded to include explanatory diagrams that have been used by thousands of Carver's seminar participants. It also contains illustrative examples of Policy Governance model policies that have been created by real-world organizations. In addition, this third edition of Boards That Make a Difference includes a new chapter on model criticisms and the challenges of governance research.
Customer Reviews:
Board Governance for those who really care.......2007-09-17
Dr. Carver's seminal work on nonprofit board governance updated to cover all the Sarbane-Oxley stuff. For those who care enough to study the very best.
incredibly useful.......2007-08-03
Carver describes how to avoid common Board mistakes and actually create the Board in a leadership role. It seems so obvious now that I read it... but I had to read it to realize what the problems were with my previous and current Board experience.
This book is tailored to answer questions about every size of Board, so read it! It's a bit dense in its language, but useful to all of us.
John Carver.......2007-07-15
I am currently a newly appointed Board chairperson for a non-profit Christian school and we have been using John Carver's Policy Governance model for the last year. While we still have a long way to go to incorporate it completely into the fabric of our board processes, we have made great strides toward it in only a year. This book is excellent in helping us get there. I have also read several of John Carver's guides and although they are somewhat small for the money you have to pay for them, they also contain very good information. We hope to study these principles as part of our on-going board training during this board fiscal year.
Boards that make a difference.......2007-07-09
Not the most engrossing read, but for anyone serving on a board, it is a great resource.
Book Description
Offers board members a clear understanding of the concepts and principles that are at the very heart of John Carver's innovative Policy Governance model. Presents the guidelines needed to transform your board members into a unified group that consistently makes powerful contributions to its organization.
Customer Reviews:
Carver guides are very god for the non profit board.......2005-07-20
This is the secong not-for-profit organization that I have directed. I have used this guide and the subsequent Carver guides to help with organizing and direction setting. Volunteer board members always respond well to the material. It is easy to understand yet the Carver model is very comprehensive. I would recommend this to any organization that is engaged in charitable work.
Excellent overview of Carver's Policy Governance theory ........1998-10-30
This first in a 12-part series of general guides on Policy Governance is a great introduction to author John Carver's new approach to nonprofit board development. Basically, this approach clearly separates the roles of board and staff as they go about their separate but related jobs of organizational governance and management. Policy Governance clarifies these roles through policy development and permits the board---governing as a body---to control the management and direction of the organization in a global policy approach. This guide is a good start in grasping the concepts of the approach.
Book Description
In the second edition of this best-selling Policy Governance operating manual, John Carver and Miriam Carver make this exciting approach to effective governance even more accessible and user-friendly, gleaning lessons learned in years of practice to help readers understand and use this invaluable model.
Carver’s groundbreaking Policy Governance model is the best-known, respected, and talked about governance model in the world and has fundamentally influenced the way organizations are governed. Reinventing Your Board, second edition, is a hands-on, step-by-step guide that puts the model to work in the meeting-to-meeting lives of board members. It includes new policy samples and a new chapter on monitoring performance, as well as other practical “put-the-model-in-motion” advice. This popular and highly successful companion to Boards That Make a Difference contains the nuts-and-bolts materials needed for implementing Policy Governance. The authors illustrate effective board decision making, show how to craft useful policies, and offer practical advice on such matters as setting the agenda, monitoring CEO performance, defining the board role, and more. Step-by-step instructions and sample policies make this a must-have resource for boards in the public and nonprofit sectors aiming to govern their organizations with excellence.
Download Description
"In the second edition of this best-selling Policy Governance operating manual, John Carver and Miriam Carver make this exciting approach to effective governance even more accessible and user-friendly, gleaning lessons learned in years of practice to help readers understand and use this invaluable model.
Carver’s groundbreaking Policy Governance model is the best-known, respected, and talked about governance model in the world and has fundamentally influenced the way organizations are governed. Reinventing Your Board, second edition, is a hands-on, step-by-step guide that puts the model to work in the meeting-to-meeting lives of board members. It includes new policy samples and a new chapter on monitoring performance, as well as other practical “put-the-model-in-motion” advice. This popular and highly successful companion to Boards That Make a Difference contains the nuts-and-bolts materials needed for implementing Policy Governance. The authors illustrate effective board decision making, show how to craft useful policies, and offer practical advice on such matters as setting the agenda, monitoring CEO performance, defining the board role, and more. Step-by-step instructions and sample policies make this a must-have resource for boards in the public and nonprofit sectors aiming to govern their organizations with excellence."
Customer Reviews:
REINVENTION of Reinventing Your Board.......2006-09-10
I have not yet completed reading this new edition so this is initial views only. I have closely read and noted changes in a couple of chapters. First impressions are that the language has got less formal and therefore the book is greatly more readable, and less formidable for the first time serious investigator of governance and Policy Governance. Secondly the years between the first edition and this one has seen some maturing of Policy Governance and this shows in the book with an increased clarity around the description of the theory, and a much improved, and more complete description of ways to implement the model, and much more detail around those practical steps... the chapter on Monitoring Organisational Performance is just so hugely more intelligible in this edition.
It is so pleasing to see an update of this outstanding book. This is a very worthwhile addition to your governance library whether you are a Policy Governance afficiando or not!
Book Description
Shows how board members must be successful strategic leaders, willing to cherish diversity, strive for accountability, and pinpoint board positions, for the good of the organization. Describes the essentials of the board member's job, and relates the job to Carver's Policy Governance model.
Customer Reviews:
Board Member's Guide.......2007-01-19
The content of this "book" is fine but it should be advertised for what it is; a pamphlet. I expected a "book" (more than 17 pages.) I cannot quibble with the scope but it is very cursory. No depth to the content. I would liken it to an outline or a brochure; definitely not a "book." Actually I felt a bit "ripped off."
Your Roles and Responsibilities As a Board Member (Carvergui.......2000-04-11
If you or your board uses Policy Governance and need to understand your job quickly, then read this book. Policy governance is difficult for many board members to grasp, but this handy text brings it home fast. It's more brief, better written and to the point than Carver's 240 page "Boards That Make a Difference." Yet it is only an overview, so don't count on it making you an expert.
I like the basic job description section; it gets to the real job of boards and helps you see the danger of activities--being busy is not always best. However the content is a bit insubstantial, so that you will need to find your own applications of the three "board products. Carver offers 18 useful bullets to the job of board member.
I find this booklet essential for all board member orientations. I would highly recommend this (and the other 11 booklets in the series) to all board members.
Book Description
Tackles the often difficult issue of CEO evaluation.
Book Description
John Carver's groundbreaking Policy Governance model has influenced the way public and nonprofit boards operate around the world. Now, as widespread experience with the model continues to grow, nonprofit and public board members can find a powerful resource and first-choice reading in the John Carver Set.
In the bestselling Boards That Make a Difference, Second Edition, John Carver enriches his definitive exposition with updated policy samples, a new chapter on the process of policy development, and additional resources for various types of boards. With creative insight and commonsense practicality, Carver presents a bold new approach to board job design, board-staff relationships, the chief executive role, performance monitoring, and virtually every aspect of the board-management relationship. In their stead, he offers a board model designed to produce policies that make a difference, missions that are clearly articulated, standards that are ethical and prudent, meetings, officers, and committees that work; and leadership that supports the fulfillment of long-term goals.
A natural companion to Boards That Make a Difference, Reinventing Your Board is John Carver and Miriam Mayhew Carver's recipe for putting Policy Governance into practice. With 25 figures, policy samples, forms, and other practical, "put-the-model-in-motion" materials, this is the nuts-and-bolts materials that Carvers' followers have been requesting. The authors illustrate effective board decision making, show how to craft useful policies, and offer practical advice on such matters as setting the agenda, monitoring CEO performance, defining the board role, and more. Step-by-step instructions and sample policies make this a valuable resource for boards in the public and nonprofit sectors.
Customer Reviews:
Practical implementation for Policy Governance.......2004-10-31
This book is designed to help boards implement the Policy Governance(r) model in their board of directors. Step-by-step instructions for how to write your first set of explicit policy statements--ends, staff limitations, board staff linkage, and board process. Some organizations have been able to implement Policy Governance using this book without the help of consulting services. Others have used this with the help of a consultant. Practical, clear, usable.
a disappointment.......2002-06-02
As someone who has had twenty years of experience both at the executive level within nonprofit organizations and on the boards of others, I found this book disappointing narrow in focus, overly dependent on specialized jargon, and rather uninspiring. When Carver talks about "policy governance" he means his very specialized theory, the Carver theory on board organization. "Step by step guide" means a highly detailed and technical presentation of the Carver system. Essentially this book may be useful as a handbook to those who hire Carver or consultants who follow this particular system. I think this book is being sold to people who will form mistaken impressions based on Carver's reputation. The title "reinventing your board" is misleading in tone because the book is really intended ONLY for people who have "bought into" Carver's highly detailed system and who already have very strong familiarity with his way of thinking. Business books about "reinventing" generally try to inspire, offering a mine of interesting examples, and at their best, teach by "showing." While there are some very useful and important observations and suggestions embedded in the book, the pedantic style and insistence on numbered, sequential steps made me feel as though I were reading a manual about reinstalling Windows 98.
Brief, readable, and pragmatic advice for effective boards.......2000-10-05
Although its style is more academic than members of many all-volunteer organizations might wish, this book is short enough to be read on a board member's tight schedule, and pithy enough to provide ideas that can truly give a new perspective on problems in the board meeting. Carver makes it clear that board leadership is best when it distinguishes between ends and means, and that governance (and the highest satisfaction for board members) lies in articulating ends and the route to those ends. This book, for me, answered the question of why organizations might not get a lot done despite diligent meeting schedules and full agendas.
Great counsel on Board/CEO relationship.......2000-08-12
Twenty years of working at CEO for a Board governed organization with 500 members. Numerous Board training seminars and this is the most practical counsel I have received. It is a hands on book, providing a model that will work for your organization.
Book Description
This one-stop board leadership resource, written by one of the world's leading governance consultants and author of the bestselling Boards That Make a Difference, offers you a broad range of material including the best articles from the Board Leadership newsletter, articles from various publications, and previously unpublished short works. Each chapter has been carefully selected and arranged to provide you with a distillation of John Carver's revolutionary Policy Governance model.
Customer Reviews:
The Policy Governance (R) model in board leadership.......2002-11-10
John Carver On Board Leadership is a collection of articles that demonstrate the Policy Governance (R) model in board leadership, as written by its creator, John Carver, a man who has over twenty years of experience working with a variety of corporation boards. Addressing how to use the model of governance to improve communication and overall effectiveness, the role of committees, means for resolving disagreements, and much, much more, John Carver On Board Leadership is a solidly written, reader accessible, and effectively useful title recommended for anyone charged with the often difficult and complicated task of coordinating or leading a governing board.
Easy to Navigate This Rich Resource.......2001-11-30
WOW! This compendium of more than 100 of John Carver's articles would be useful enough if it only collected these important articles on Policy Governance into one volume. This publication goes several steps further - by starting with a Frequently Asked Questions Guide, the reader is directed to his or her most urgent concerns. These FAQs appear throughout the book along with pull-out quotes that focus the reader's attention on key issues in the section. Both these features make the book easy to navigate and consequently, a richer resource.
It's great to have these articles combined into one resource since many have been previously published in hard to access journals. This will be a great resource for those new to Policy Governance as well as to experienced practitioners.
A wealth of practical information.......2001-11-20
This book is a gold-mine of practical information about the application of Policy Governance®. Boards will find a wealth of wisdom from former issues of Board Leadership, as well as a number of articles published in industry-specific journals that were not previously easy to find, now all in one convenient, easy-to-use package. Articles are short, easy-to-read, and of practical "hands-on" value. The FAQ section permits the reader to zoom in on particular areas of interest. As a consultant in Policy Governance® , I find the book to be a very user-friendly reference. For boards using the model, it is an invaluable resource. This is a book that can be read cover to cover, or can be "dipped into" to address specific issues facing a board at any given point in time. A must for your board's reference and on-going development.
The rest of John Carver.......2001-11-13
If you have read John Carver's books and watched his videotaped lectures, you have just begun to scratch the surface. In addition to "Boards That Make A Difference," "Reinventing Your Board," and "A New Vision of Board Leadership," Carver has produced an amazing array of short pieces designed for those who want to use Policy Governance. This book, "On Board Leadership," is a convenient compendium of these articles. It's well organized with a reliable index, an understandable table of contents and a list of "frequently asked questions" with references to the articles.
What this means is that my frequent trips to the file cabinet to riffle though my file of Carver's occasional writings are a thing of the past. From now on, I'll grab "On Board Leadership" and turn right to the article I need. If, for example, I am struggling with the concept of "cost," the index sends me to page 96 where I read that a board can only do so much. So the board must satisfy itself that by giving up end X in order to accomplish end Y, it is doing what its "owners" would want. The only tool I now lack is a "Carver Concordance."
Wide ranging discussions well organized. Just what every Policy Governance advocate can use. The book belongs in every association executive's library.
Gary Davis
Executive Director
Illinois Community College Trustees Association
401 E. Capitol Avenue, Suite 200
Springfield, IL 62701
The ultimate resource.......2001-11-13
While there are more and more books available on making boards effective, no other author seems to bring together anything more than miscellaneous ideas. John Carver, on the other hand, lays out a full system for board clarity and accountability.
I read his "Boards That Make a Difference", and was thrilled to see someone finally offer a way to make sense of boards. As a consultant, I've become an avid advocate of his Policy Governance model, which when used, virtually assures elevated governance.
With this new book, Carver continues to impress. Rather than a conceptual text, this collection of over 100 articles addresses nearly every conceivable structural issue boards face, as well as the myths surrounding Policy Governance.
To have all of this relevant information in one place is an incredible gift, another great addition to Carver's contributions to the nonprofit world, and any others interested in making boardroom activity meaningful and productive.
Book Description
Examines how to restrict crowded agendas, scattered focuses of discussion, and all the familiar weaknesses of group discipline--and use board energy efficiently and effectively. Tells how to select subject matter for meetings, how to plan use of board time, control the agenda, and discusses how long a board meeting should be in order to fulfill its task of governing.
Customer Reviews:
Just Not Worth the Money.......2006-09-01
The title implies far more than you'll get from this "book". In reality it is 18 fairly small pages of generic information such as "ensure that the board is dealing with board topics". As a free pamphlet given away at the SBA it would be fine, but not for the money asked.
Book Description
Describes the fundamental responsibilities of the chairpersonof the board: to ensure the functioning of the board and the integrity of the board process. Offers invaluable tips for helping the chair lead more effectively, such as leading the board to define its own job, design its discipline, and evaluate its performance.
Customer Reviews:
Carver Guide Not worth the price.......2007-06-28
This tiny booklet is not worth the $14 price. There isn't sufficient help within to really make a difference although it has a very catchy title.
Chairpersons Role As Servant Leader to the Board.......2000-04-11
Finally, Carver made simple!. John and Miriam Mayhew Carver, make the Policy Governance model understandable for the Chairperson in this short booklet. After using Carver's Boards That Make a Difference," for years, I have not found many volunteer board members who want to read his 240 page text. However, "Chairpersons Role As Servant Leader to the Board" is short enough (at 20+ pages) and simple enough for most board chairs to read on the way to meeting. If you use the Policy Governance based on Carver's model, I would highly recommend this (and the other 11 booklets in the series).
Chairpersons Role As Servant Leader to the Board.......2000-04-11
Finally, Carver made simple!. John and Miriam Mayhew Carver, make the Policy Governance model understandable for the Chairperson in this short booklet. After using Carver's Boards That Make a Difference," for years, I have not found many volunteer board members who want to read his 240 page text. However, "Chairpersons Role As Servant Leader to the Board" is short enough (at 20+ pages) and simple enough for most board chairs to read on the way to meeting. If you use the Policy Governance based on Carver's model, I would highly recommend this (and the other 11 booklets in the series).
Books:
- Business and Its Environment (5th Edition)
- Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy
- Challenge of Third World Development, The (4th Edition)
- Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole
- Cost Accounting (12th Edition) (Charles T Horngren Series in Accounting)
- Cost Accounting Student Guide, 12th Edition
- Designing and Managing the Supply Chain w/ Student CD-Rom
- E-Commerce: Business, Technology, Society (3rd Edition)
- Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data
- Elliott Wave Principle: Key to Market Behavior (Wiley Trading Advantage)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
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- Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II
- Critical Theories, IR and 'the Anti-Globalisation Movement': The Politics of Global Resistance
- Essays on Economics and Economists
- Handbook of Computational Economics, Volume 2: Agent-Based Computational Economics
- History: Fiction or Science
- Essential Business Tactics for the Net, 2nd Edition
- New Rules for the New Economy: 10 Radical Strategies for a Connected World
- Inside the House of Money: Top Hedge Fund Traders on Profiting in the Global Markets
- Grave Consequences: An Emma Fielding Mystery
Company Profiles
| Biography & History
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
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CarverGuide, Your Roles and Responsibilities as a Board Member (J-B Carver Board Governance Series)
CarverGuide, Basic Principles of Policy Governance (J-B Carver Board Governance Series)
Reinventing Your Board (J-B Carver Board Governance Series)
Reinventing Your Board: A Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing Policy Governance (J-B Carver Board Governance Series)
Boards That Make a Difference (J-B Carver Board Governance Series)
