FAQs
Why does our organisation need a Board Skills Analysis or Board Skills Matrix?
For many organisations a Board Skills Analysis or Board Skills Matrix is an essential compliance requirement for good governance and board management.
As an example, principle 5 of the Charities Commission asks that boards work as an effective team, using the appropriate balance of skills, experience, backgrounds and knowledge to make informed decisions.
Board skills analysis can uncover insights into your specific skills and competencies. You can discover untapped skills, areas for potential development and advance a more diverse, balanced and focused board, leading to:
Increase return on equity, sales and invested capitol
Increase performance
Improved resilience
Improved governance, reporting and transparency
Improved leadership, culture and representation
Clarifying business direction & strategy
Achieving objectives
How long will it take to receive the Board Skills Analysis report?
5 clear working days, from the date your report closes.
How long will the survey’s be open for?
They are open for a maximum of three weeks and the closing date is set by the organisation.
How long does it take to complete the board member survey?
It takes board members on average, less than 10 minutes to complete the board member survey.
Are there a maximum number of board members that can participate in the survey?
No, all our Board Skills Analysis are bespoke, so please get in touch with hello@governancegeek.online if you have a board, large or small.
Who is the organisation key contact?
The key contact is the primary person that Governance Geek will liaise with. They will also be asked to submit relevant information to support Governance Geek in processing your Board Skills Analysis, so will need to be knowledgeable about the board members and the organisation.
What information will the key contact need to complete the surveys?
Key contacts will need board members names and email addresses, they will also need to have obtained their consent to share this information with Governance Geek.
Key contacts will be asked to submit the level of skill required for each skill that the Board Analysis will report on.
If the key contact would like to discuss this with colleagues, prior to submitting their skills need to Governance Geek, they can request a full list of the skills by emailing hello@governancegeek.online. This is subject to the organisation purchasing the Board Skills Analysis, Governance Geek checks and compliance with our terms and conditions.
What happens if we don’t have a vice-chair?
The vice-chair is intended to act as the independent person who has observed the chairs skills. If you do not have a vice-chair or a senior independent director, please identify a board member who would be independent and able to share their observations of the chair and add this person as your ‘vice-chair’.
Why are the organisations values included in the analysis?
Values are crucial in guiding an organisations actions and culture. Whilst understanding your board members skills, why not take the opportunity to see how their behaviour supports your organisations values. Organisations can add up to 5 values.
What values should we include?
If you have already identified company values specific for your organisation include these. If you do not have any company values then this is an exercise your organisation could undertake or you can simply choose to leave this section blank as it is optional.
What is my tenure start date?
Your tenure start date is the date you began your role as a Board Director or Trustee. You can find the date you started on the people section of your organisation found on the Companies House website.
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/
What other services do you offer?
Individual Skills Analysis – is a full report for an individual board member. It provides insight on the skills they have, the level they have demonstrated during the past 12 months and the level their chair/vice-chair observed them demonstrating.
It also illuminates their overall analysis score against the business skills needs, identifying where they are supporting the organisation, where they have the potential to develop skills and where their skills may not be needed.
The perfect tool to support appraisal meetings, personal development plans and training needs analysis.
Tenure Management – a revised report of your Board Skills Analysis that takes into account your board members whose tenure is due to end or if you receive an unplanned resignation.
Understanding the changes that your exiting board member will have on your boards skills will support your organisation to succession plan well and either recruit or develop the essential skills you could be about to lose.
Recruiting for your Skills Gap – if through completing our Board Skills Analysis or Tenure Management Board Analysis you find that you have clear skills gaps, ask us to generate content for your recruitment adverts.
We can clearly define the skills, diversity or representation you need to recruit for.
Year on Year Comparison – our returning customers can enjoy the option of adding a year-on-year comparison to show the changes and transitions of their board skills position.
Exploring if board skills gaps have been filled, if training and development initiatives have had an impact on skills demonstrated and if diversity targets have been achieved.
Can I use the board skills analysis on a team or committee?
We are excited to say we are working on this as our next product. Enquire today if you would like your team to be part of our testing team. hello@governancegeek.online