Number: 70% – The percentage of club industry experts who see a continued problem with excessive board involvement in a club’s daily affairs (“micro-management”).
In order for club operations to run smoothly and for members to make the most of their club experience, it’s crucial for the board and club management to have a healthy and effective working relationship.
As a part of NCA’s groundbreaking trends research published in Navigating the Future: The Outlook for Private Clubs, club leaders (many of whom were GMs) weighed in on issues that can affect the board-management relationship. More than 70 percent agreed that excessive board involvement, aka “micro-management” in a club’s daily affairs, would persist as a problem well into the future.
Such conflict can easily be minimized by best practices in the areas of sound strategic planning, thoughtful board selection, effective board orientation, and ongoing board education. In fact, in the same study, 91 percent of respondents believe that clubs utilizing strategic planning will minimize potential conflicts between boards and management.
According to experts participating in the study, clubs that succeed in reducing conflict in the future will:
- Craft a well thought out vision statement in order that everyone—board members, club management, and club members alike—is on the same page and moving toward the same goals.
- Attract and retain board members who clearly understand their role, as well as the role of club management, and how the pieces fit together is also the key.
- Opt for smaller boards and seek greater involvement of women and younger members.
- Place an increased reliance on a strong membership director.
- Shift the GM’s role to one with greater executive authority—such as from the COO model to the CEO model.
All clubs should make it a priority each and every day to think more strategically and develop the best possible working relationship between the board and club management. Doing so will pay dividends in terms of the club’s ability to recruit and retain members, create an atmosphere that club members will want to spend more time in and more.
Source: Navigating the Future: The Outlook for Private Clubs, NCA.