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Boards today are operating in a landscape of continual change. Governance models are being tested against new expectations—about representation, accountability, and the ability to understand and respond to complex community needs.

The challenge is that transformation rarely happens in a single leap. Change in governance—like in most systems—tends to be iterative. It’s achieved through small, deliberate shifts in practice: introducing reflection into discussions, broadening who sits around the table, and redefining what meaningful oversight looks like. When these shifts accumulate, they can turn governance from a procedural obligation into something genuinely useful and effective.

Representation, Inclusion and Board Culture

Diversity remains fundamental to good governance. Boards that mirror the diversity of the communities they serve are better able to anticipate risks, identify opportunities, and make decisions that truly resonate. A practical first step is simple but revealing: audit who is missing. Consider age, background, lived experience, and community representation—not just professional expertise.

Representation alone, though, isn’t enough. Boards also need to create the conditions for inclusive dialogue. That can mean rotating who chairs meetings, building time for informal conversation, inviting observers such as freelancers or community representatives, or simply ensuring that every member can contribute in the way that suits them best. These habits - though small - create psychological safety, ensuring that a range of perspectives shape the conversation.

Strengthening the Board–CEO Relationship

The relationship between a board and its CEO is pivotal to how well governance functions. It works best when built on openness, clarity, and trust: no surprises, clear reporting formats, and a shared understanding of purpose.

Succession planning is particularly critical. For many organisations, the potential departure of a CEO represents their single biggest risk. That risk can be reduced through proactive planning - drafting a clear framework that guides how a board should respond, what questions to ask, and how to manage the process of appointing new leadership. The outgoing CEO can play an important role here: steering the process but not the decision, ensuring continuity without overstepping.

Similarly, introducing staff to the board before they are ever candidates for leadership strengthens resilience. When boards understand the depth of talent within an organisation, they are more confident in their decision-making, and the organisation becomes less dependent on any one individual.

Keeping Boards Engaged Between the ‘Big Moments’

Boards are often most visible during key moments—recruiting a CEO, navigating a crisis, or setting a new strategy. The challenge is maintaining engagement and relevance between those moments. Too often, meetings default to reporting rather than reflection.

A small but effective change is to structure board papers with intention: label items as “for information,” “for discussion,” or “for approval.” Add a few questions to guide debate, helping board members consider how the topic links to strategy or community needs. It encourages them to draw on their own experience and networks, adding external perspective rather than simply responding to reports.

From Reporting to Reflection: Embedding the Most Significant Change Method

One of the most powerful shifts we’ve seen in board culture comes from using story-based evaluation methods - particularly the Most Significant Change (MSC) approach. Initially developed in international development, MSC involves collecting stories of change directly from those an organisation exists to serve, then discussing them collectively to identify what matters most.

Embedding this in board meetings has been transformative. Instead of reviewing data and performance indicators alone, boards hear – firsthand - what people value about the organisation’s work. The conversation changes: instead of “how many people did we reach?”, the question becomes “what difference did we make—and what does that teach us?”.

This reflective storytelling builds empathy, connects governance back to mission, and helps boards understand complexity in a way that spreadsheets never could. It can feel uncomfortable at first - boards aren’t always used to expressing opinions about lived experience - but with practice, it becomes a natural part of strategic thinking.

Over time, this approach has changed the quality of discussion and even influenced strategic priorities. For example, decisions around community cafés or public spaces have shifted because boards came to understand their social and cultural value, not just their financial return.

Embracing Courage and Curiosity

Evolving governance requires courage and curiosity- qualities that challenge established habits and open the door to learning. By integrating inclusive representation, nurturing effective leadership relationships, and introducing reflective practices like MSC, boards can move from being an administrative layer to a dynamic asset.

Boards can start small:

 · Conduct a diversity and skills audit to identify who’s missing.

· Revisit succession plans and clarify leadership pipelines.

· Pilot a storytelling session to hear from beneficiaries.

Step by step, these actions build a culture of learning, empathy, and accountability - one where boards don’t just oversee impact but genuinely understand and enhance it.

About the authors:

Annabel Turpin is Chief Executive of Storyhouse in Chester, one of the country’s largest arts centres, incorporating theatres, a cinema and the city’s library, and welcoming more than 800,000 visitors a year. She is also Co-Director of the 170-strong, Future Arts Centres national network, championing the role of arts centres in driving social, economic and cultural change. In December 2023, she was appointed as North Area Council Chair and National Council member of Arts Council England.

Olwen Dawe is a leading Policy Analyst and Consultant, with an established track record in developing and implementing equality, diversity and inclusion projects. She is an Associate Consultant of the Institute of Public Administration, and guest lectures on their Professional Diploma in Human Rights and Equality.  Olwen holds a BA (Hons) in Industrial Relations, a Postgraduate Diploma in Economic Science, Public Policy Analysis, an MEconScience in Public Policy Analysis and a Professional Certificate in Governance.  Olwen was Project Advisor for the Speak Up: A Call for Change report, and continues to advise the Safe to Create project. Olwen is a former Board member of Women's Aid and the National Women’s Council (NWC), and has also served on the Boards of the Lyric Theatre (Belfast), Poetry Ireland and CoisCéim Dance Theatre, and as Chair of the Policy Committee of the National Campaign for the Arts (NCFA), she currently serves on the Board of the Centre for Cross Border Cooperation.