Almost six out of 10 senior charity leaders have experienced “challenging behaviours” on their organisation’s board, new figures show.
Research published today by the charity leaders body Acevo and the Association of Chairs shows that relationships between charity leaders and their chairs are generally positive but highlights gaps in board effectiveness, behaviour and governance practice.
The research, which involved an online survey completed in November and December by 224 charity chief executives and chairs plus 14 vice-chairs and trustees, found 59 per cent of respondents said they had experienced challenging behaviours on their board, such as people exerting disproportionate influence.
Analysis of the figures showed that almost one in five charity chief executives said they had seen that behaviour often, while only 7 per cent of chairs said the same.
About one in six respondents said they had never seen challenging behaviour on their board.
Charity chairs emerged as consistently more positive than chief executives across every measure, with CEOs coming out as less confident in board effectiveness, trustee behaviour, and openness to risk.
The survey found that views on board effectiveness were generally positive, with 46 per cent of respondents rating their board as eight out of 10 or higher for effectiveness, although only 4 per cent gave the maximum score.
But fewer than half – 42 per cent – are seen as open to risk and just 51 per cent said their board had the diversity and skills it needed.
Researchers also found that 70 per cent of charity chiefs and 83 per cent of chairs said their relationship was strong.
Role confusion and boundary overstepping emerged as the most common sources of tension, cited by 20 per cent of chief executives and 15 per cent of chairs, followed by a lack of communication or transparency.
Only a quarter of organisations said they had a chair appraisal process, the research found.
Jane Ide, chief executive of Acevo, said: “Strong relationships between CEOs and chairs are at the heart of effective charities, and it’s encouraging that so many leaders report high levels of trust and openness.
“But this research also shows we can’t be complacent. Too few boards are operating at the highest level, and too many CEOs are experiencing challenging behaviours that hold organisations back.
“We need to move beyond seeing governance as process and compliance, and focus much more on behaviours, relationships and leadership. That means investing in the CEO/chair relationship, building diverse and confident boards, and making sure the basics, such as appraisal, induction and board development, are consistently in place.”
Liz Lowther, chief executive of the Association of Chairs, said: “Having an effective board and a chair and CEO that work well together are two vital foundations for building a strong, resilient, and impactful charity.
“This research shows that many charities have made good progress in putting these foundations in place, but there are still gaps that need to be filled.
“Where there are weaknesses, be they missing processes like inductions and appraisals, or challenging behaviours from boards and leaders, they can affect an organisation’s ability to remain strong in these times of increasing pressures and uncertainty.”