Board Policies
Below is the link to our Board policies:
Board of Directors Policy Register
About Policy Governance
The Three Rivers Market Board operates using the Policy Governance* model, which was developed to allow Boards to maintain accountability for organizational performance while focusing on providing visionary leadership around our ‘big-picture’ mission. With the recognition that delegation is a significant component of our accountability, the Board maintains written documentation of expectations for ourselves, our organization, and our General Manager–our policies are the primary vehicle for recording these expectations, and they are monitored on a regular basis.
The relevance of this methodology stems from (1) the fact that a significant volume of information is required to fulfill our fiduciary duties; (2) the need to delegate authority in order to accomplish our organizational purpose; (3) the desire to ensure that our members and stakeholders are well served by organizational accomplishments.
The Policy Governance model is designed to allow the Board to delegate with great clarity by completing three steps:
1. Expressing the expectations of the job being delegated.
2. Assigning the expectations with no ambiguity to the party who is to be held accountable for meeting them.
3. Checking that expectations were met.
The advantages of using the Policy Governance model are:
• It enables the Board to focus on the future, and provide high-level organizational leadership rather than focusing on day-to-day operational issues. (After all, if the Board does not provide this type of leadership, who else could?)
• By deciding on the larger issues about ends and means the Board can maintain meaningful control of the organization while allowing others to decide on smaller issues.
• The Board can delegate genuine authority to others without failing in its own accountability — the parameters of delegated authority are clearly established by the Board, allowing for decisive leadership by others.
• Regular assessment of compliance with policy provides a systematic method for evaluating organizational performance because the Board knows what to look for.
• The Board and its subordinates (e.g., its committees, the General Manager) know what is required of them because expectations are clearly articulated. Since the design of jobs has already been decided, the Board can distinguish the proper course of action when confronted by questions without having to spend time defining the nature of governance itself.
The Board of Directors exists for the sole purpose of ensuring, on behalf of our members, that the organization performs as it should. We must constantly evaluate our purpose — what change we want to occur for people and even the world outside of our organization — and our Ends — the accomplishments that justify our existence.
This brings us to the most important question: what difference does having Three Rivers Market in the world make to you?
* The Policy Governance methodology was developed by John Carver as a means to structure Board process to allow for Board accountability on a meaningful level and empower the Board to lead their organizations at the highest level. The term Policy Governance is registered and protected. Carver’s website address is: carvergovernance.com
