The organization should have an effective program of welcoming new board members aimed at giving them a good impression and experience with the brand.
The program should give the new directors adequate information and support that they require to effectively perform in the new role.
The program if well implemented will help the new members to understand the organization including the business it is in, staff well-being, business processes, and risk management strategies among others.
The program will also enable the directors to appreciate their role in the success of the organization. The induction program should include the following among others;
Geographical location
The new board member should be introduced to the global and local locations of the business to get a general view of the organization.
Organization orientation
The new directors are very important guests (VIPs) to the organization and they should therefore be accorded VIP treatment on arrival so that they can quickly adjust to the environment.
They should be guided on the layout of the offices so that they can easily find their way around the various floors.
Organization strategy
This shows how an organization plans to use limited resources to safely address the gap between its current state and the desired future state.
The new board members should appreciate the organization’s strategy including the goals and actions that management has developed to address the gap. The strategy document should be summarised for the new members in a few pages.
Organizational culture and values
The new board members should be introduced to the organization’s culture, beliefs, values, and attitudes toward various situations.
They should also be exposed to the lessons learned from the customers and staff’s experience with the organization. The new board members should be exposed to the new experience of interacting with the brand.
Management information system (MIS)
The new board members should get a feel of the effectiveness of the MIS gather data from various places and produce tailor-made information for decision-making.
Organization structure
The organizational structure including the work and information flow should be explained to the new members. The purpose of the organization structure aimed at achieving the goals of the goals should be made clear.
The Business of the organization
The new directors should appreciate the plan of how the organization makes money. What products or services does it offer to the chosen market niche? What drives its business?
It is also important for the directors to appreciate the playing field including the customers, extent of competition, and other key stakeholders.
Risk management framework
The directors should have an understanding of the risk management framework that clearly states the organization’s position on risk and the processes in place for identifying, analyzing, and mitigating risks.
Governance Framework
The new directors should appreciate the system of rules, practices, and processes by which an organization is directed and controlled to balance the interests of stakeholders.
The fact that the board of directors is a primary force behind corporate governance should be well explained.
The Board
The members should be provided with adequate information on the board including its composition, agenda, skill set, charter, capacity-building plan, evaluation process, succession planning, and responsibilities among others. This enables new board members to get a fast understanding of the working environment of the board.
Staff
The new board members should have a feel of the well-being of the staff as their well-being level affects their performance and productivity in the workplace.
There should be adequate and effective policies aimed at creating a satisfactory working environment. The policies should address the aspects of monitoring the staff satisfaction levels and the related mitigation strategies.
Succession planning
There should be an effective plan for identifying and filling critical positions within the organization. These positions if not occupied will have a significant impact on the success and sustainability of the organisation. Therefore, the organization should have the capacity to attract, develop, and retain talented staff at the various levels of readiness to fill the critical positions.
Conclusion
The program should be a win-win situation as the new director will learn more about the organization and the board’s responsibilities and at the same time the organization will also learn more about the potential of new members.