Our Roles in Working Together

Topics Suggested by Board Members

1. What happens when parties are involved in something, but not accountable for it?
2. What is the scope of what is purely administrative?  How can we ensure that those who are given the task of doing something know that they are the “trusted hands” and won’t be second-guessed?
3. Would systems training help people think how we might function more effectively together? We have some patterns we need to change.
4. Dialogue happens under conditions of trust; part of trust is confidentiality.  How do we set the right expectations for transparency and confidentiality?
5. Is part of the solution here to have a “no surprises” rule?  How far would that extend?
6. The Board can delegate authority, but it can’t delegate accountability.  In the academic context, it can’t (easily) hold the faculty accountable, though it can hold the Administration accountable.  How much is this asymmetry responsible for our problems?
7. How do we think about making fast decisions when fast decisions are necessary?  What processes do we have in place that are good for making fast decisions – and what processes don’t work well there?
8. How can we ensure that initiatives always flow through the right channels – from the start?
9. Roles come with boundaries.  Do we need to clarify the boundaries?