Abstract
What characteristics define and describe effective boards of trustees in colleges and universities? Do effective boards differ in any systematic ways from ineffective ones? The present paper traces the development and testing of a conceptual framework of board competencies and analyzes alternative approaches to measurement. We focus on issues of theory development, on the use of a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods, and on suggestions for further study of this crucial aspect of higher education.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ashford, S. J. (1989). Self-assessments in organizations.Research in Organizational Behavior 11: 133–174.
Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (1986).Self-Study Criteria. Washington, DC: Author.
Cameron, K., and Bilimoria, D. (1985). Assessing effectiveness in higher education.Review of Higher Education 9 (1): 101–118.
Chait, R. P., and Taylor, B. E. (1987). Evaluating boards of trustees: Theory and practice. Paper presented at the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Baltimore (duplicated).
Dickmeyer, N. (1979).Conceptual Framework for Indicators of College and University Financial Health. Washington, DC: American Council on Education.
Dickmeyer, N., and Hughes, K. S. (1987).Financial Self-Assessment: A Workbook for Colleges and Universities. Washington, DC: National Association of College and University Business Officers.
Flanagan, J. C. (1954). The Critical Incident Technique.Psychological Bulletin 51: 327–358.
Glaser, B. G., and Strauss, A. L. (1974).The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. Chicago: Aldine.
Guilford, J. P., and Fruchter, B. (1978).Fundamental Statistics in Psychology and Education. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Holland, T. P. (1988). The effectiveness of non-profit organizations.Journal of Applied Social Sciences 12 (2): 202–221.
Holland, T. P., and Chait, R. P. (1987).Effective Governance of Postsecondary Educational Institutions: A Study of Boards of Trustees of Colleges and Universities. College Park, MD: National Center for Postsecondary Governance and Finance (duplicated).
Houle, C. O. (1989).Governing Boards. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Kerr, C., and Gade, M. L. (1989).The Guardians: Boards of Trustees of American Colleges and Universities. Washington, DC: Association of Governing Boards.
Kim, J.-O., and Mueller, C. W. (1978).Factor Analysis: Statistical Methods and Practical Issues. Beverly Hills: Sage.
Klemp, G. O., Jr., and McClelland, D. C. (1986). What characterizes intelligent functioning in senior managers? In R. J. Sternberg and R. K. Wagner (eds.),Practical Intelligence: Nature and Origins of Competence in the Everyday World (pp. 31–50). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Kovner, A. R. (1985). Improving the effectiveness of hospital governing boards.Frontiers of Health Services Management 2 (1): 4–33.
Krakower, J. Y. (1985).Assessing Organizational Effectiveness. Boulder, CO: National Center for Higher Education Management Systems.
Meyer (1975). The pay-for-performance dilemma.Organizational Dynamics Winter: 39–50.
Miles, M. B., and Huberman, A. M. (1984).Qualitative Data Analysis: A Sourcebook of New Methods. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.
Nason, J. W. (1982).The Nature of Trusteeship. Washington, DC: Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges.
Nunnally, J. C. (1979).Psychometric Theory. New York: McGraw-Hill.
O'Connell, B. (1985).The Board Member's Book: Making a Difference in Voluntary Organizations. Chicago: Follett.
Savage, T. J. (1987). Navigating the system governance maze.Health Progress 68 (Jan.–Feb.): 30–37.
Siegel, S. (1956).Nonparametric Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Steers, R. M. (1975). Problems in the measurement of organizational effectiveness.Administrative Science Quarterly 20: 546–588.
Stiegelbauer, S., Goldstein, M., and Huling, L. L. (1982). Through the eyes of the beholder: On the use of Qualitative methods in data analysis. In R&D Center for teacher Education,Qualitative and Quantitative Procedures for Studying Interventions Influencing the Outcomes of School Improvement (R&D Report 3140). Austin: R&D Center for Teacher Education, University of Texas.
Taylor, B. E. (1987).Working Effectively with Trustees: Building Cooperative Campus Leadership. ASHE-ERIC Research Report No. 2. Washington, DC: Association for the Study of Higher Education.
Yin, R. K. (1984).Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.
Zwingle, J. L. (1975).Effective Trusteeship. Washington, DC: Association of Governing Boards.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Holland, T.P., Chait, R.P. & Taylor, B.E. Board effectiveness: Identifying and measuring trustee competencies. Res High Educ 30, 435–453 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00992565
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00992565