CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION

Governance: Governing Style
Effective Date: Feb. 2, 2004 Approved by: Executive Feb. 2, 2004

Policy

The Executive will approach its task with a style that emphasizes outward vision rather than an internal preoccupation, encouragement of diversity in viewpoints, strategic leadership more than administrative detail, clear distinction of Executive and staff roles, future rather than past or present, proactivity rather than reactivity.

In this spirit, the Executive will:

1. Focus chiefly on its ends policies and the long-term external impacts of the organization's decisions and activities, not on the administrative or programming means through which these ends will be attained.

2. Direct, control and inspire the organization through the careful establishment of the broadest organizational policies.

3. Enforce upon itself and its members whatever discipline is needed to govern with excellence. Discipline will apply to matters such as attendance, policy-making principles, respect of clarified roles, speaking with one voice and self-policing of any tendency to stray from governance adopted in Executive policies.

4. Be accountable for competent, conscientious and effective accomplishment of its obligations as a body. It will allow no officer, individual, or committee of the Executive to usurp this role or hinder this commitment.

5. Monitor and regularly discuss the Executive’s own process and performance. Insure the continuity of its governance capability by retraining and development.

6. Be an initiator of policy, not merely a reactor to staff initiatives. The Executive, not the staff, will be responsible for executive performance.

7. Speak with one voice as expressed by resolutions and motions: any individual communications to staff shall be in a strictly advisory role, not a directive role.

8. At the end of each meeting, designate a five-minute evaluation of the conduct of the meeting.