Governance Policies
The Hanover Consumer Cooperative Society’s Board of Directors operates under a model of governance called the Policy Governance Model. This section of our site provides all the details needed to understand that model.
The Policy Governance Model
Board leadership requires, above all, that the board provide vision. To do so, the board must first have an adequate vision of its own job. That role is best conceived neither as volunteer-helper nor as watchdog but as trustee-owner. Policy Governance is an approach to the job of governing that emphasizes values, vision, empowerment of both board and staff, and the strategic ability to lead leaders.
Observing the principles of the Policy Governance model, a board crafts its values into policies of the four types below. Policies written this way enable the board to focus its wisdom into one central, brief, document.
Ends
The Board defines which human needs are to be met, for whom, and at what cost. Written with a long-term perspective, these mission-related policies embody most of the board’s part of long-range planning.
Executive Limitations
The board establishes the boundaries of acceptability within which staff methods and activities can responsibly be left to staff. These limiting policies, therefore, apply to staff means rather than to ends.
Board-Executive Linkage
The board clarifies the manner in which it delegates authority to staff as well as how it evaluates staff performance on provisions of the Ends and Executive Limitations policies.
Board Process
The Board determines its philosophy, its accountability, and specifics of its own job.
– From Board Leadership: Policy Governance in Action, John Carver ed., No. 52
Bibliography
Carver, John, Boards that Make a Difference: A New Design for Leadership in Nonprofit and Public Organizations, Jossey-Bass, 1990
Carver, John, Empowering Board for Leadership, 2 cassette tapes_. Redefining excellence in Governance, Jossey-Bass, 1992
Carver, John, Board Governance, 2 hour VHS, 1993
Carver, John and Miriam Mayhew Carver, Reinventing Your Board, Jossey-Bass, 1997
Oliver, Caroline, ed., The Policy Governance Fieldbook, Jossey-Bass, 1997
Want Great Produce?
If the Co-op is famous for anything, it’s for our Produce Departments. This is where you’ll find everything from that perfect Florida or California orange to the best products from local growers all over the area. The people who work here know what they’re doing, too. The jobs are competitive, and the staff members are proud of their careers. Come visit us, ask our employees for their expertise, and take advantage of having access to the best Produce Department in the Upper Valley.
Killdeer Farm
Spinach from Liz and Jake Guest’s Killdeer Farm is often one of the the first Upper Valley-grown vegetables to arrive at the Co-op in the spring—and it keeps on coming, fresh and tender, into November. The Guests’ skill and passion for farming stems from the back-to-the-land movement of the 1970s. They sell certified-organic arugula, varieties of red and green lettuce, cilantro, carrots, and potatoes to the Co-op as part of their diversified farm operation.
