Ce document phare, publié en juin 2014 par CPA Canada*, sous la plume de Don Taylor, est un outil précieux, voire indispensable, pour tout administrateur d’OBNL. Les administrateurs de sociétés sont exposés à un cadre conceptuel vraiment révélateur eu égard à la mise en œuvre de l’organisation ou au raffinement de la gouvernance d’un organisme à but non lucratif.
On y trouvera également un recueil des principales questions que les administrateurs d’OBNL doivent se poser en siégeant sur ces conseils.
Si vous êtes impliqué (engagé) dans la gouvernance d’un OBNL, je suis persuadé que cette publication est pour vous. Bonne lecture !|
Le Conseil sur la surveillance des risques et la gouvernance des Comptables professionnels agréés du Canada (CPA Canada) a préparé le présent guide afin d’aider les administrateurs d’organismes sans but lucratif (OSBL) à s’assurer qu’un bon cadre de gouvernance est en place, de manière à favoriser la productivité, la reddition de comptes et le succès de ces organismes dans la réalisation de leur mission.
English: CPA Global Logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Voici les principales étapes qui seront abordées pour guider les administrateurs d’OSBL dans l’élaboration ou la mise au point d’un tel cadre :
• compréhension des exigences et du contexte législatifs;
• conception du cadre de gouvernance;
• mise en œuvre du cadre de gouvernance;
• établissement d’une saine dynamique au sein du conseil;
• suivi, apprentissage et amélioration sur une base continue.
Le guide propose également des questions que les administrateurs peuvent poser pour savoir si le cadre de gouvernance et les processus connexes de l’OSBL sont efficaces et adaptés aux besoins particuliers de celui-ci. Nous encourageons aussi les administrateurs à formuler d’autres questions selon la situation particulière de l’OSBL en question.
« An emerging dynamic of the 2014 proxy season is the move toward a greater focus on board effectiveness. Investors—through direct engagement, letters to boards and shareholder proposals—are increasingly communicating their expectations around governance and for companies to more clearly explain their governance decisions and approach on key issues. These developments are raising the importance for companies to have proxy disclosures that tell a clear governance story and to have company-investor dialogues that are ongoing and constructive. Examining this evolving landscape, EY’s Center for Board Matters released a new report – 2014 Proxy season preview: Boards face shifting investor priorities and expectations – to provide boards and those who support them with timely, data-rich analysis of the areas of investor focus going into the proxy season.
“There’s a new paradigm in company-investor engagement in that it’s no longer reserved for times of crisis, and in some cases directors are increasingly playing a role. Companies are recognizing that a, constructive approach to engagement, particularly with long-term investors, can build trust and investor support,” said Allie Rutherford, Director of Corporate Governance in the EY Center for Board Matters.
Key governance priorities for investors this year include:
Board composition and renewal: Investors are highlighting board composition and renewal as a priority in 2014, saying they want to know that the right people – those with qualification aligned with the company’s strategic goals, stakeholders and risk oversight needs – are in the boardroom. Investors are increasingly raising these topics in discussions with companies.
English: Ernst & Young board close to Time Square in New York (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Board structure and accountability: Investors list board structure and accountability as a priority and these investors are continuing to push for the annual election of all directors under a majority vote standard. Some investors are also looking to see that a board has a strong independent chair or lead director with clearly defined, robust responsibilities.
Sustainability: Investors also include environmental and social topics as a key priority. Combined, these topics continue to represent the largest number of shareholder proposals submitted. Investors are focused on environmental sustainability and human rights and labor conditions, including across a company’s global supply chain. Shareholder requests for enhanced disclosure, monitoring and management of these sustainability related risks are growing.
Executive compensation: More than 2400 companies with annual say-on-pay (SOP) votes will continue to gauge investor support for their compensation policies and practices, and 2014 will mark the second SOP vote for companies that elected triennial frequencies. Some shareholders also are submitting proposals targeting specific pay practices, such as to limit the accelerated vesting of equity awards and to adopt or enhance executive clawback policies, including asking for disclosure of when decisions to claw back pay have been made.
Political and lobbying spending and oversight: A number of investors continue to prioritize requests for enhanced transparency and oversight around a company’s political and lobbying expenditures in the absence of SEC rulemaking on this topic. This year, shareholder proposal seeking board oversight and disclosure of political and lobbying expenditures are the most common in terms of numbers, with more than 120 submitted to companies across a wide range of size and industry ».
Comment, en tant que fiduciaires et stratèges, les membres des conseils d’administration doivent-il aborder l’enjeu le plus critique de la gouvernance : La relève du président et chef de la direction PCD (CEO). C’est un sujet difficile et délicat, un sujet qui requiert toute l’attention des administrateurs, notamment de son comité des ressources humaines.
L’article dont il est question dans ce billet est basé sur les résultats du Global Strategic Leadership Forumqui s’est tenu à Atlanta en 2013 et qui a paru dans le Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance.
Vous trouverez un extrait ci-dessous. Bonne lecture !
The World Affairs Council of Atlanta’s 2013 Global Strategic Leadership Forum focused on a critical issue facing boards of directors: CEO succession. As arguably its most crucial responsibility, the board’s process for hiring and developing CEOs must be an extraordinarily thorough one that addresses the complexities of the modern global company. While there is no exact template that fits all circumstances, the board must ensure that its processes and oversight accurately reflects the organization’s future needs, identifies the skills and experience required in today’s complex global economy, and builds and closely monitors a truly robust succession plan.
The critical questions include the following: How can the board best identify what the company most needs and match a candidate to meet those needs? Who among the CEO candidates is most capable of driving the company to greater growth and performance? What are the necessary attributes, contextual experience, and values that will drive effective, positive change in the company and in the industry? Of course, a company’s specific position in its industry and its own history are important distinctions that will impact the answers to these questions. All of these topics must be viewed in the context of the escalating risk factors and competitive forces facing all companies not only in the United States, but in other countries around the world, especially in emerging market countries.
215 px (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The responsibility of the board with respect to CEO succession is a part of the board’s increasing engagement in corporate strategic decision-making and broad operational focus. Because CEO selection and monitoring is carried out in the context of the company’s risk position in all its markets, the board and the CEO should be in full agreement as to the risk appetite of the company, where the company is heading, and how it plans to get there—understood in terms of the short, medium, and long-term strategic horizon.
The Process of CEO Succession is Ongoing
While the search and selection of a new corporate leader is a major event in a company’s life, in fact the CEO succession process is not a time-limited event. Rather, it must be an ongoing process of development and discernment that is constant and systematic, driven by the company’s strategy and core values, and involving the intentional engagement of all of the board members. As boards are becoming increasingly engaged in forming the strategic trajectory of the company, they also are coupling this focus on a longer-range view of CEO succession. Connecting these two principal board duties influences the defining of CEO attributes that will support the implementation of the long-range strategy. The CEO succession process must be seen as an integral part of the broader leadership and talent identification, development, and monitoring system within the organization. Although the board’s legal responsibility resides in selecting and overseeing the work of the CEO, it has an implied responsibility to ensure that a management development system provides a clear way to identify and nurture potential corporate leaders, including a pool of potential CEO candidates. While an outside search for a CEO is also a proven pathway for CEO selection in certain circumstances, the majority of new CEOs emerge from inside the company and, hence, should come out of an established leadership development program….
The Inside/Outside Choice
The company’s current strategic position almost surely will influence the board’s decision on whether to seek a candidate for CEO from inside or outside the company. There are some circumstances in which the board may perceive a real need to find a CEO who can address internal matters of culture and motivation and that may require a different skill set from the previous or current CEO.
While there is a substantial literature on the board’s decision to focus either inside or outside the company for a CEO, there is a broad consensus that the inside candidate is preferred if the company is performing well. The outside candidate may be better if the company is not meeting its strategic objectives or if the company’s competitive position in the industry is not meeting the board’s expectations. While an inside candidate may know the corporate culture quite well, in certain circumstances, including a need for major strategic change, the CEO may need to be an inspirational change manager, a “refresher” for the corporate culture, and a motivator….
Attributes and Values of the Exemplary CEO
As the board evaluates potential CEO candidates, it should systemically and constantly refine the list of specific attributes that the future CEO should possess. Clearly, most boards want a CEO candidate who is a strong leader, who is capable of a high level of critical and holistic thinking, has unquestioned integrity, courage to act, and who perceives the necessity for innovation in products, services, and stakeholder engagement. Four principal attributes at the top of any board’s list should be: operational ability, strategic outlook, congruence with the corporate culture, and a high level of social and emotional intelligence. In all interactions, the CEO must be able to listen and learn, be open to a variety of opinions in his or her approach to decision-making, and operate well under stress. Candidates’ attributes and the board’s evaluation criteria must include the ability to handle key relationships with three “masters” in mind: customers, shareholders, and employees. The board must evaluate the potential CEO’s track record in dealing with these three key, yet very different, constituencies. While these constituencies are not involved directly in the selection process, the CEO candidate’s knowledge of them and how to strengthen ties to them should be a primary consideration in the final decision.
More than ever, the essential attributes list will include an excellent understanding of finance, including a keen ability to articulate where the company’s value is being produced, its capital structure, cost dynamics, asset utilization, and any potential resource gaps. A thorough comprehension of global financial markets is increasingly vital. Moreover, a strong financial fluency will allow the CEO to speak effectively not only with the CFO, but also with analysts and institutional investors.
Beyond industry knowledge and operational acumen necessary to lead an enterprise in a globalized market, today’s CEO must be able to have a full grasp of a wide range of issues including the drivers of the global economy, the complexity of the regulatory environment wherever the company is operating, enterprise risk management including political risk and cultural differences, corporate growth strategies, and current or potential acquisition or merger targets. A major category of concern to any CEO is compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which absorbs a lot of international companies’ corporate resources and must be managed carefully—especially in an era where the rise of whistleblowers, including the malicious ones, is a reality.
All CEOs must have a capacity to look forward, to envision what the future in the industry will look like, and anticipate, to the extent possible, the political and economic developments that may impact the company’s operations and performance. Global fluency and cross-cultural competence are essential ingredients for today’s CEO and some companies look very favorably on candidates who speak languages in addition to English.
Where CEO succession most often goes wrong is when there is not a good cultural fit, when the board uses the wrong metrics for evaluation, when the board does not know the candidate well enough, or when it fails to discerns how the candidate will react in specific and stressful situations. The candidates’ ethics and values must be clearly understood not only on their own, but also in the framework of the corporate culture.
Another critical dynamic in the selection of the CEO is to ensure that the candidate understands the impact of digitalization and the emergence of “big data” on his or her industry and company. Increasingly, the CEO must have a fulsome understanding of technology, especially those technological developments that are or will be impacting the industry….
Ci-dessous, l’extrait d’un article très simple sur les devoirs attendus de la part des actionnaires. Si vous avez décidé d’investir dans une entreprise, vous possédez une part de la propriété de celle-ci !
Il est donc important de lire la documentation fournie par le conseil d’administration et par la direction de l’entreprise afin de vous former une opinion sur sa gouvernance, et vous devriez vous faire un devoir d’exercer vos droits de votes.
L’article récemment publié par The Canadian Press saura-t-il éveiller chez vous le sens de la responsabilité de l’actionnaire ? En ce qui me concerne, j’ai décidé, il y a quelques années, de me faire un devoir de lire les documents préparatoires à l’AGA et de voter, par la poste, sur les items de l’ordre du jour qui sollicitent l’assentiment des actionnaires.
Documents sent to shareholders ahead of the meeting can include the management proxy circular, annual information form and the company’s annual report. The information form and annual report give the financial statements and an update by management on the business and the direction for the company — both key documents for shareholders.
The proxy circular includes information related to the annual meeting, including the nominees for the board of directors and the appointment of the auditors. It can also include shareholder proposals or major changes at the company that require shareholder approval.
Eleanor Farrell, director of the Office of the Investor at the Ontario Securities Commission, says shareholders have the right to vote on matters that affect the company, including the election of the board of directors. “That is a very important governance piece for the company,” Farrell says.
“The board is the one that approves the strategic plan. It sets the direction of the company. They appoint the CEO, they evaluate the CEO and they also approve the compensation plan.” Farrell says if shareholders don’t approve of a nominated director they can withhold their vote and, at most large companies, if a majority of the votes cast withhold a vote for a particular director, that director would be forced to step aside.
“Shareholders in the last few years have certainly become and gotten a lot more powerful and a lot more powers, I would say,” Farrell said. “Corporate governance has been a very big concern for institutional investors, certainly, and companies are much more concerned about corporate governance.”
The information circulars also include detailed descriptions about how much the company’s directors receive in compensation and what the senior executives are paid in salary, shares or options, as well as the size of their bonuses and the value of any other perks. The circular will also include how the board arrived at that compensation as well as comparisons with previous years. Certain provisions, such as how much a chief executive will receive if the company is taken over or if they are let go, are also often included.
Voici un excellent article paru sur le blogue de Josse Tores, un auteur reconnu pour ses qualités d’influenceur, de conférencier et d’éditeur. M. Tores explique bien l’importance pour tout entrepreneur de se doter d’un conseil aviseur.
L’article fait état de huit facteurs qui contribuent à l’efficacité d’un conseil aviseur. Vous trouverez ci-dessous un sommaire des 8 caractéristiques.
Je vous conseille de prendre le temps de lire ce court article.
Advisory boards are used by the best entrepreneurs as a way to fill knowledge gaps with subject matter experts. Advisory board members are not directors in the traditional sense. Advisory board members do not serve a governance function and do not represent shareholders or other stakeholders. An advisory board’s role is simply to provide advice to the entrepreneur relative to achieving business goals.
Business in London (Photo credit: Stuck in Customs)
At its most basic level an advisory board acts as a sounding board for the business owner. At its best, an advisory board provides expertise, guidance, and business development opportunities. In all cases, the advisory board provides the entrepreneur a group of experts with whom to talk about opportunities, challenges, and next steps.
The following are 8 tips to creating an effective advisory board:
1. Have a Purpose: “Management by objective works – if you know the objectives. Ninety percent of the time you don’t.” – Peter Drucker
2. Recruit Doubters: “The path of sound credence is through the thick forest of skepticism.” – George Jean Nathan
3. Leverage the Network: “The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.” – Albert Schweitzer
4. Write It Down: “A verbal contract isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.” – Samuel Goldwyn
5. Time is Money: “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.” – Warren Buffett
6. Keep It Intimate: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
7. Maximize Value: “Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.” – Confucius
8. Ongoing Communication: “Number one, cash is king…number two, communicate…number three, buy or bury the competition.” – Jack Welch
Entrepreneurs should consider forming an advisory group as early in the life of the business as possible. Advisory boards should be dynamic, changing composition as challenges change. Advisors should know their role may be temporary. They should be recognized and praised by the entrepreneur to ensure they remain engaged and involved. Above all else, advisors should recognize that they are there to provide advice to the entrepreneur and not to govern the business. Utilizing these eight tips enables an entrepreneur to achieve greater success in a shorter amount of time.
Guy Le Péchon, associé gérantde Gouvernance & Structures vient de faire paraître dans le journal LesEchos.fr, une piste de réflexion sur le rajeunissement des conseils d’administration qui, je crois, mériterait d’être expérimentées et pourraient changer le processus de gouvernance des entreprises.
Quelles entreprises ont déjà mis en place des processus de renouvellement similaire ? Quelles seront les entreprises novatrices en matière de diversification des conseils ?
Alors, comment procéder ? L’approche suggérée par ce billet par Gouvernance & Structures est, sous la houlette du conseil d’administration, de créer un conseil de jeunes. Avec des objectifs un peu différents, certaines municipalités utilisent cette approche. Ce conseil de jeunes serait composé d’une dizaine bénévoles de 18 à 25 ans, défrayés des frais éventuels. Ils seraient recrutés par annonces Internet pour 3 ans (avec renouvellement d’un tiers d’entre eux chaque années) en visant la parité femmes / hommes et une large diversité de milieu d’origine. Ils seraient pilotés par le secrétaire du conseil d’administration aidé par un responsable RH.
« Le Conseil de Classe » (Philippe Danvin) Compagnie Raymond Pradel (Photo credit: saigneurdeguerre)
Le conseil, en leur fournissant la documentation nécessaire, leur demanderait, disons trois fois par an, de réfléchir à un thème examiné à un prochain conseil et de faire des propositions. On peut penser aux questions sur lesquelles les jeunes peuvent être sensibilisés; technologies nouvelles dont réseaux sociaux et protection des données, écologie, éthique, international… Une fois par an, sur un de ces thèmes, serait organisé une demi-journée d’échange direct avec présence physique des membres du conseil d’administration à l’occasion d’une de ses réunions.
La formule serait légère et n’entraînerait pas de dépenses importantes, elle permettrait aux membres du conseil d’administration, dans un cadre souple et convivial, d’être positivement et concrètement confrontés aux idées de jeunes et pourquoi pas d’en retenir certaines pour mise en application. Les jeunes en tireraient sûrement un profit personnel, et indirectement leurs proches.
En effet, ils bénéficieraient ainsi d’une ouverture sur la « Corporate Gouvernance » des entreprises et leurs hauts dirigeants. L’entreprise pourrait incidemment dans ce cadre repérer des jeunes talents à embaucher plus tard. La société pourrait utiliser cette approche pour améliorer son image de marque, en particulier auprès de jeunes. Bien des discours et écrits prônent l’innovation, et comme on commence à le savoir, l’innovation n’est pas seulement technologique, elle peut être aussi organisationnelle et sociale.
Je vous propose une lecture parue dans Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, publiée par Holly J. Gregory du « Corporate Governance and Executive Compensation group » de la firme Sidley Austin LLP.
On y décrit les priorités que les conseils d’administration doivent considérer en 2014 :
Les investisseurs institutionnels
Le conseil d’administration
Les priorités
La performance de l’entreprise et l’orientation stratégique
La sélection du PCD, la rémunération, la relève
Les contrôles internes, la gestion du risque et la conformité
As the fallout from the financial crisis recedes and both institutional investors and corporate boards gain experience with expanded corporate governance regulation, the coming year holds some promise of decreased tensions in board-shareholder relations. With governance settling in to a “new normal,” influential shareholders and boards should refocus their attention on the fundamental aspects of their roles as they relate to the creation of long-term value.
Institutional investors and their beneficiaries, and society at large, have a decided interest in the long-term health of the corporation and in the effectiveness of its governing body. Corporate governance is likely to work best in supporting the creation of value when the decision rights and responsibilities of shareholders and boards set out in state corporate law are effectuated.
This article identifies and examines the key areas of focus that institutional investors and boards should prioritize in 2014.
Institutional Investors
Apply a long-term value approach.
Vote on a company-specific basis where possible.
Focus on core issues.
The Board
Despite increased shareholder decision rights and influence, the board’s fundamental mandate remains to direct the affairs of the company. Key areas for boards to focus on include:
Defining board priorities.
Monitoring company performance and setting strategic direction.
Selecting and compensating the CEO and planning for succession.
Attending to internal controls, risk management and compliance.
Preparing for a crisis.
Engaging with shareholders and responding to shareholder activism.
Determining board composition needs and leadership structure.
Board Priorities
Boards determine how to apportion their very limited time based on board responsibilities and the unique needs of the company. Each board must define the priorities that will shape its agenda and determine the information it needs to govern, driven by the needs of the business. Boards add value when they help management cope with the complex context in which the company operates, and when they support management in focusing on the long-term interests of the company and its shareholders.
Active board engagement in overseeing company performance, strategy and the culture of ethics should help to align the company’s approach to compensation, financial disclosure, internal controls, risk management and compliance. Therefore, in most circumstances the majority of board time should be reserved for matters related to company performance and strategy, and the ethical tone within the company.
Outside directors require considerable amounts of information as they get to know the business and the environment in which the company operates. Active involvement in prioritizing the agenda and defining information needs positions outside directors to provide objective guidance and judgment. The board should not leave decisions about the board agenda and information needs to management alone.
Company Performance and Strategic Direction
Challenges for boards include:
Reserving appropriate time for review and discussion of company performance.
Taking an active role in strategic planning while maintaining objectivity. (This is especially critical in enabling the board to assess the positions of activist shareholders versus management’s plans.)
Supporting appropriate long-term investment and prudent risk-taking in the face of significant short-term pressures for immediate returns or other conflicts.
Balancing guidance and support of management with objective assessment and constructive criticism.
Holding management accountable for results in light of the agreed strategy by determining and applying performance benchmarks.
Helping management anticipate and understand the potential for abrupt and long-term changes in the company’s economic, political and social environment.
Testing key assumptions that underpin management’s proposed strategic plans and major transactions, including assumptions about risks.
Maintaining appropriate deference to management on day-to- day operations without becoming unduly passive.
CEO Selection, Compensation and Succession
Challenges for boards include:
Setting goals for the CEO (and other key executives) in line with corporate strategy, objectives and plans.
Providing appropriate support, guidance and deference to the CEO while maintaining objectivity about performance.
Designing compensation to attract and retain talent while aligning it with performance.
Considering the CEO’s contributions in the context of the contributions of the broader team, an issue that will be highlighted with the new pay ratio disclosures.
Discussing management development and succession planning on a regular basis, even regarding a new, young or high-performing CEO.
Understanding and considering shareholder views about CEO compensation and succession without substituting those views for the board’s own objective judgment.
Ensuring that company disclosures adequately communicate the board’s views and activities regarding compensation and succession planning.
Internal Controls, Risk Management and Compliance
Challenges for boards include:
Ensuring that appropriate time is devoted to these key issues without becoming overly focused on controls and compliance.
Using board committees efficiently to address these issues while keeping the entire board appropriately informed and involved.
Remaining vigilant for red flags, which are often a series of yellow flags.
Creating incentives for management to establish and maintain an appropriate control, risk management and compliance environment.
Ensuring that the company has adopted appropriate standards of corporate social responsibility consistent with evolving societal expectations.
Monitoring compliance with legal and ethical standards.
Voici un document synthèse récemment publié par Deloitte sur la gouvernance des OBNL. C’est un document très précieux car il examine chaque élément de la gouvernance de ces organisations, répondant ainsi à de multiples questions que se posent les dizaines de milliers d’administrateurs québécois (le document est en français).
Comme vous le verrez, on y présente, en annexe, plusieurs guides et outils qui seront assurément très pertinents pour un administrateur :
Modèle de mandat pour le conseil d’administration d’un OBNL
Modèle de mandat pour le comité d’audit d’un OBNL
Modèle de formulaire d’évaluation de la performance du conseil
Modèle de matrice des compétences du conseil
Je vous invite donc à prendre connaissance de ce document. Vous trouverez ci-dessous un texte introductif à l’ouvrage.
Faites-moi part de vos commentaires en tant que membre de conseil d’administration d’OBNL. Bonne lecture !
Il y a près de 20 ans, nous avons publié la première édition de L’efficacité du conseil d’administration d’un OSBL dans le but de présenter aux organismes à but non lucratif (OBNL) (aussi appelés OSBL) un exposé des enjeux de la gouvernance. Notre objectif était de les aider à surmonter les obstacles à la mise en place d’un système de gouvernance efficace. Depuis, les pratiques en la matière ont bien évolué. Au fil des années, de nouvelles exigences ont été mises en place à l’intention des sociétés ouvertes et les meilleures pratiques autre fois adoptées par un petit groupe de sociétés sont maintenant devenues la norme au sein de la plupart des organismes.
Parallèlement à l’évolution des pratiques de gouvernance, les attentes des parties prenantes se sont accrues et tous les organismes ayant une obligation d’information du public, y compris les OBNL, sont désormais concernés. De nos jours, bon nombre d’OBNL vont au-delà de la simple conformité aux exigences réglementaires et ont adopté des pratiques exemplaires de gouvernance empruntées aux sociétés ouvertes ainsi que des pratiques établies et encouragées par le public et la communauté des OBNL elle-même.
Cette troisième édition de L’efficacité du conseil d’administration d’un OSBL traite de la gouvernance des OBNL en fonction de la situation actuelle de la réglementation et des parties prenantes. Elle s’adresse en premier lieu aux administrateurs, car ce sont eux qui assument au final la responsabilité de la gérance de l’organisme. Nous espérons que ce texte permettra au lecteur de mieux comprendre les responsabilités des administrateurs d’un OBNL et l’amènera à orienter son organisme vers des pratiques de gouvernance plus efficaces.
Dans cette édition, nous :
expliquons d’abord le sens d’une bonne gouvernance et nous soulignons son importance pour les OBNL;
présentons ensuite le cadre de gouvernance de Deloitte, qui reflète les pratiques exemplaires de gouvernance actuelles et émergentes;
traitons également en détail de chaque élément de ce cadre en plusieurs volets et proposons une série de questions pour permettre aux administrateurs de comprendre et de surmonter les difficultés au sein de leur propre organisme;
traitons aussi d’enjeux propres aux OBNL et proposons certaines mesures que les OBNL et leur conseil d’administration peuvent prendre pour y répondre;
présentons finalement certains outils populaires que Deloitte a conçus pour aider les conseils à s’acquitter de leurs responsabilités.
Voici un court texte publié par Bill Conroy* sur le site de OpenviewLabs qui présente quelques méthodes efficaces pour assurer la bonne conduite des réunions de conseils d’administration. La préparation et la gestion des réunions de C.A. sont certainement deux activités essentielles à la saine gouvernance des sociétés.
L’auteur insiste tout particulièrement sur l’adoption de deux méthodes :
(1) le livre de contrôle (control book) et
(2) le meeting de gestion précédent le C.A.
Je vous invite à prendre connaissance du site OpenviewLabs. Que pensez-vous de ces deux approches ? Vos commentaires sont les bienvenus.
« Bill Conroy, formerly CEO of Initiate Systems and currently a director at Kareo, Prognosis, and AtTask is a seasoned boardroom veteran who has often been “in companies where everybody is running up and down the hallways” hours before the board meeting is set to begin, frantically trying to finish preparations and reports. He has two remedies for manic board meeting preparation: 1) the control book; and 2) a management meeting prior to the board meeting ».
Conroy calls the control book “a source of truth,” and considers it the only reporting that really matters. “It is published monthly to the board, as well as to the management team,” he says, eliminating the scramble before the meeting and the numbers update during the meeting since “the directors have been getting the control book in the same format all of the time.”
Inside the control book, board members find performance metrics, a profit and loss breakdown, a cash statement, a retention report, growth drivers, and any other salient reports that you know the board is after. The key is to make sure that all of the numbers are included and presented in the same format month after month. That way, Conroy says, “there is no discussion about what the numbers are in the board meeting, which is a total waste of time,” and you can focus on “what the numbers mean.”
(2) The Management Meeting: “80% of the board meeting”
Conroy recommends holding your management meeting one or two days prior to the board meeting. The format and deliverables for the management meeting should be 80% of what’s needed in the board meeting, making it an excellent form of board meeting preparation.
All presenters in the management meeting should be limited to 2-3 slides but discussion time should not be limited. Kick off the meeting with “somebody who is capable of being very neutral talking about the market,” so that he or she can provide an honest assessment of whether your company is gaining or losing market share. Next, have your product lead present the product roadmap like a forecast. “What are we going to deliver and are we on schedule?”
RDECOM Board of Directors holds meeting (Photo credit: RDECOM)
After that, sales presents a simple breakdown of quarterly deals that have been closed, deals they are so confident in they can commit they will close, and upside deals. The sales leader also needs to take a stab at an end-of-year outlook regardless of what the current quarter is.
The CFO follows sales, and — instead of presenting what the numbers are — presents two slides discussing what the numbers mean, and what the causes for concern are. The CEO closes out the agenda by covering the company’s strategic initiatives and progress made on those fronts. The CEO needs to tell the board “what keeps me up at night” about the company.
Market overview
Product roadmap
Sales recap & forecast
CFO presentation
CEO presentation
“If you go through all of those things in a management meeting,” Conroy says, take time afterward to fine tune them, and then have “the exact same people give the exact same reports” at the board meeting, you’re setting yourself up for an efficient discussion with the board.
Between the control book and the management meeting, you create “a lot of extra time for people to be focused externally as opposed to internally.” In board meetings, most of the discussion is around the numbers, and Conroy sees that as the main reason why they get bogged down. But the monthly control book gives “the directors plenty of time to make calls to the CFO” to inquire about numbers, leaving board meetings for what the CEO should really be focused on: strategy.
Voici un document australien de KPMG, très bien conçu, qui répond clairement aux questions que tous les administrateurs de sociétés se posent dans le cours de leurs mandats.
Même si la publication est dédiée à l’auditoire australien de KPMG, je crois que la réalité règlementaire nord-américaine est trop semblable pour se priver d’un bon « kit » d’outils qui peut aider à constituer un Board efficace. C’est un formidable document électronique de 130 pages, donc long à télécharger. Voyez la table des matières ci-dessous.
J’ai demandé à KPMG de me procurer une version française du même document mais il ne semble pas en exister. Bonne lecture en ce début d’été 2014.
Our business environment provides an ever-changing spectrum of risks and opportunities. The role of the director continues to be shaped by a multitude of forces including economic uncertainty, larger and more complex organisations, the increasing pace of technological innovation and digitisation along with a more rigorous regulatory environment.
At the same time there is more onus on directors to operate transparently and be more accountable for their actions and decisions.
To support directors in their challenging role KPMG has created The Directors’ Toolkit. This guide, in a user-friendly electronic format, empowers directors to more effectively discharge their duties and responsibilities while improving board performance and decision-making.
Key topics :
Duties and responsibilities of a director
Oversight of strategy and governance
Managing shareholder and stakeholder expectations
Structuring an effective board and sub-committees
Enabling key executive appointments
Managing productive meetings
Better practice terms of reference, charters and agendas
Voici un ensemble de questions très pertinentes que vous pourriez (devriez) poser avant de vous joindre à un conseil d’administration. Cet article, rédigé par Ellen B. Richstone*, a été publié aujourd’hui dans NACD Directorship; il présente un genre de « check list » qui vous sera sûrement d’une grande utilité au moment de considérer une offre de participation à un C.A.
Je sais, on ne se préoccupe généralement pas de faire un examen (« due diligence ») aussi serré que ce qui est proposé ici mais, si vous avez la chance d’avoir une offre, pourquoi ne pas considérer sérieusement les questions ci-dessous.
C’est un prélude au genre de travail que vous aurez à faire quand vous siégerez à ce conseil : poser des questions !
L’article nous invite à se questionner sur les aspects suivants :
Question 2 (Photo credit: Blue Square Thing)
(1) La mission, la vision, les stratégies, le plan d’action
(2) La dynamique du marché et la part de marché
(3) Les produits
(4) Les compétiteurs
(5) Les clients
(6) Les aspects financiers
(7) Les aspects légaux et l’assurance-responsabilité des administrateurs
(8) Les relations entre le C.A. et la direction
(9) La structure du conseil et la nature des relations entre les administrateurs
(10) Les relations avec les actionnaires
(11) La qualité des produits et services
(12) La qualité des ressources humaines et les relations de travail
(13) Vos valeurs personnelles
(14) Le risque de réputation
(15) Le modèle de gouvernance
Après avoir obtenu des réponses à ces questions, vous devez voir si la culture organisationnelle vous sied et, surtout, si votre contribution peut constituer une valeur ajoutée à ce conseil.
You are considering joining a company’s board. You reviewed the publicly available financial, legal, and business information; spoke with management, internal and external legal counsel, and auditors; and evaluated the D&O policy.
You are all set, right? In fact, this is the beginning of your due diligence process: the hardest questions are the least measurable, but equally and sometimes more important than the measurable ones.
With many questions, a company might not want to share the details until you have actually joined the board. In those cases, focus on whether the board and management have a process in place that supports a thoughtful discussion. In particular, think about these questions against the backdrop of your board value and effectiveness.
______________________________________
* Ellen B. Richstone has extensive board and operating experience, both as a CEO and a CFO, and as a director in companies ranging in size from venture capital-backed to S&P 500, public, and private. She currently serves on the board of the NACD New England Chapter, along with several other boards.
Quels sont les principes fondamentaux de la bonne gouvernance ? Voilà un sujet bien d’actualité, une question fréquemment posée, laquelle appelle, trop souvent, des réponses complexes et peu utiles pour ceux qui siègent sur des conseils d’administration.
L’article de Jo Iwasaki, paru sur le site du NewStateman, a l’avantage de résumer très succinctement les cinq (5) grands principes qui doivent animer et inspirer les administrateurs de sociétés.
Les principes évoqués dans l’article sont simples et directs; ils peuvent même paraître simplistes mais, à mon avis, ils devraient servir de puissants guides de référence à tous les administrateurs de sociétés.
Les cinq principes retenus dans l’article sont les suivants :
Un solide engagement du conseil (leadership);
Une grande capacité d’action liée au mix de compétences, expertises et savoir être;
Une reddition de compte efficace envers les parties prenantes;
Un objectif de création de valeur et une distribution équitable entre les principaux artisans de la réussite;
De solides valeurs d’intégrité et de transparence susceptibles de faire l’objet d’un examen minutieux de la part des parties prenantes.
« What board members need to remind themselves is that they are collectively responsible for the long-term success of their company. This may sound obvious but it is not always recognised ».
Our suggestion is to get back to the fundamental principles of good governance which board members should bear in mind in carrying out their responsibilities. If there are just a few, simple and short principles, board members can easily refer to them when making decisions without losing focus. Such a process should be open and dynamic.
Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
An effective board should head each company. The Board should steer the company to meet its business purpose in both the short and long term.
Capability
The Board should have an appropriate mix of skills, experience and independence to enable its members to discharge their duties and responsibilities effectively.
Accountability
The Board should communicate to the company’s shareholders and other stakeholders, at regular intervals, a fair, balanced and understandable assessment of how the company is achieving its business purpose and meeting its other responsibilities.
Sustainability
The Board should guide the business to create value and allocate it fairly and sustainably to reinvestment and distributions to stakeholders, including shareholders, directors, employees and customers.
Integrity
The Board should lead the company to conduct its business in a fair and transparent manner that can withstand scrutiny by stakeholders.
We kept them short, with purpose, but we also kept them aspirational. None of them should be a surprise – they might be just like you have on your board. Well, why not share and exchange our ideas – the more we debate, the better we remember the principles which guide our owbehaviour.
De son côté, l’Ordre des administrateurs agréés du Québec (OAAQ) a retenu six (6) valeurs fondamentales qui devraient guider les membres dans l’accomplissement de leurs tâches de professionnels. Il est utile de les rappeler dans ce billet :
Transparence
La transparence laisse paraître la réalité tout entière, sans qu’elle ne soit altérée ou biaisée. Il n’existe d’autre principe plus vertueux que la transparence de l’acte administratif par l’administrateur qui exerce un pouvoir au nom de son détenteur; celui qui est investi d’un pouvoir doit rendre compte de ses actes à son auteur.
Essentiellement, l’administrateur doit rendre compte de sa gestion au mandant ou autre personne ou groupe désigné, par exemple, à un conseil d’administration, à un comité de surveillance ou à un vérificateur. L’administrateur doit également agir de façon transparente envers les tiers ou les préposés pouvant être affectés par ses actes dans la mesure où le mandant le permet et qu’il n’en subit aucun préjudice.
Continuité
La continuité est ce qui permet à l’administration de poursuivre ses activités sans interruption. Elle implique l’obligation du mandataire de passer les pouvoirs aux personnes et aux intervenants désignés pour qu’ils puissent remplir leurs obligations adéquatement.
La continuité englobe aussi une perspective temporelle. L’administrateur doit choisir des avenues et des solutions qui favorisent la survie ou la croissance à long terme de la société qu’il gère. En lien avec la saine gestion, l’atteinte des objectifs à court terme ne doit pas menacer la viabilité d’une organisation à plus long terme.
Efficience
L’efficience allie efficacité, c’est-à-dire, l’atteinte de résultats et l’optimisation des ressources dans la pose d’actes administratifs. L’administrateur efficient vise le rendement optimal de la société à sa charge et maximise l’utilisation des ressources à sa disposition, dans le respect de l’environnement et de la qualité de vie.
Conscient de l’accès limité aux ressources, l’administrateur met tout en œuvre pour les utiliser avec diligence, parcimonie et doigté dans le but d’atteindre les résultats anticipés. L’absence d’une utilisation judicieuse des ressources constitue une négligence, une faute qui porte préjudice aux commettants.
Équilibre
L’équilibre découle de la juste proportion entre force et idées opposées, d’où résulte l’harmonie contributrice de la saine gestion des sociétés. L’équilibre se traduit chez l’administrateur par l’utilisation dynamique de moyens, de contraintes et de limites imposées par l’environnement en constante évolution.
Pour atteindre l’équilibre, l’administrateur dirigeant doit mettre en place des mécanismes permettant de répartir et balancer l’exercice du pouvoir. Cette pratique ne vise pas la dilution du pouvoir, mais bien une répartition adéquate entre des fonctions nécessitant des compétences et des habiletés différentes.
Équité
L’équité réfère à ce qui est foncièrement juste. Plusieurs applications en lien avec l’équité sont enchâssées dans la Charte canadienne des droits et libertés de la Loi canadienne sur les droits de la personne et dans la Charte québécoise des droits et libertés de la personne. L’administrateur doit faire en sorte de gérer en respect des lois afin de prévenir l’exercice abusif ou arbitraire du pouvoir.
Abnégation
L’abnégation fait référence à une personne qui renonce à tout avantage ou intérêt personnel autre que ceux qui lui sont accordés par contrat ou établis dans le cadre de ses fonctions d’administrateur.
Voici une étude internationale publiée par Paul Hastings sur la place des femmes dans les conseils d’administration et sur les contenus des codes de gouvernance eu égard à la parité.
Cette étude couvre plusieurs thèmes concernant le raffermissement de la situation des femmes dans les instances de décision, notamment :
(1) éduquer les C.A. sur les impératifs d’affaires reliés à l’importance de la diversité;
(2) présenter des stratégies d’ouverture de postes sur les conseils d’administration;
(3) créer des réseaux et des banques de candidatures féminines.
Les auteurs font le point sur l’évolution de la situation des femmes dans les C.A., pays par pays. Je vous invite à consulter cet ouvrage afin de vous familiariser avec les règlementations internationales en gouvernance. On y présente un excellent résumé des codes de gouvernance :
Europe continues to be a leader on this issue. In the past year, we saw tangible progress as well as continued debate about the best approaches for promoting greater representation of women on corporate boards. 2013 showed the highest year-on-year change recorded to date in the average number of women on boards of large corporations in European Union Member States, in part due to mandatory quotas. However, several EU countries have pursued strategies other than mandatory quotas to address the gap. Austria, Denmark, Finland, the United Kingdom, and Sweden favor legislation and corporate codes that allow companies to set their own targets and policies. Recent amendments to the UK’s corporate governance code more explicitly reference gender as a factor in making board appointments. The changes also require that companies report publically on their board member selection process, diversity, and gender policy as well as measurable objectives for implementing and gauging progress. In Germany, the debate over fixed quotas continues within the government and no legislation addressing gender parity is expected this year.
The United States and Canada continue to exhibit only marginal growth in the percentage of women on boards since the 2012 report. However, in the United States, there has been renewed attention and discourse in the public domain regarding the lack of women in the highest echelons of corporate leadership following several op-eds and most notably, Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead. Notably, much of the discourse has centered on private sector initiatives, rather than mandatory quotas or other legislative solutions.
In Australia, new legislation has bolstered reporting requirements: private companies with 80 or more employees must report annually regarding specific gender equality indicators. The legislation includes potential sanctions such as naming non-compliant companies in national newspapers and jeopardizing such companies’ eligibility for government contracting. In New Zealand, the proposed NZSX/NZDX Listing Rules regarding diversity have been enacted, requiring listed companies to provide a breakdown of the gender composition of their directors and officers.
Voici un guide de référence publié par l’ÉNAP, en collaboration avec le Collège des administrateurs de sociétés (CAS), qui présente, clairement et en détail, les rôles et les responsabilités des membres de conseils de sociétés d’État. Je vous le présente car il est utile pour tous les types de sociétés.
Ce document a été conçu pour servir de guide à un conseil d’administration désireux de satisfaire aux exigences d’une bonne gouvernance attendue d’un conseil.
Chaque conseil d’administration est donc invité à utiliser ce guide afin de l’aider à bien circonscrire ses rôles et ses responsabilités ainsi que ceux des acteurs qui en font partie, d’établir son propre profil de compétence et d’expérience, et de procéder à l’évaluation de son fonctionnement, du rendement et de la performance des acteurs impliqués dans la vie du conseil.
Vous trouverez ci-dessous un checklist qui vous sera utile pour effectuer une révision de vos processus de gouvernance.
Bonne lecture. Vos commentaires sont les bienvenus.
Top Ten Steps to Improving Corporate Governance :
1. Recognise that good governance is not just about compliance
Boards need to balance conformance (i.e. compliance with legislation, regulation and codes of practice) with performance aspects of the board’s work (i.e. improving the performance of the organisation through strategy formulation and policy making). As a part of this process, a board needs to elaborate its position and understanding of the major functions it performs as opposed to those performed by management. These specifics will vary from board to board. Knowing the role of the board and who does what in relation to governance goes a long way towards maintaining a good relationship between the board and management.
2. Clarify the board’s role in strategy
It is generally accepted today that the board has a significant role to play in the formulation and adoption of the organisation’s strategic direction. The extent of the board’s contribution to strategy will range from approval at one end to development at the other. Each board must determine what role is appropriate for it to undertake and clarify this understanding with management.
3. Monitor organisational performance
Monitoring organisational performance is an essential board function and ensuring legal compliance is a major aspect of the board’s monitoring role. It ensures that corporate decision making is consistent with the strategy of the organisation and with owners’ expectations. This is best done by identifying the organisation’s key performance drivers and establishing appropriate measures for determining success. As a board, the directors should establish an agreed format for the reports they monitor to ensure that all matters that should be reported are in fact reported.
4. Understand that the board employs the CEO
In most cases, one of the major functions of the board is to appoint, review, work through, and replace (when necessary), the CEO. The board/CEO relationship is crucial to effective corporate governance because it is the link between the board’s role in determining the organisation’s strategic direction and management’s role in achieving corporate objectives.
5. Recognise that the governance of risk is a board responsibility
Establishing a sound system of risk oversight and management and internal control is another fundamental role of the board. Effective risk management supports better decision making because it develops a deeper insight into the risk-reward trade-offs that all organisations face.
6. Ensure the directors have the information they need
Better information means better decisions. Regular board papers will provide directors with information that the CEO or management team has decided they need. But directors do not all have the same informational requirements, since they differ in their knowledge, skills, and experience. Briefings, presentations, site visits, individual director development programs, and so on can all provide directors with additional information. Above all, directors need to be able to find answers to the questions they have, so an access to independent professional advice policy is recommended.
7. Build and maintain an effective governance infrastructure
Since the board is ultimately responsible for all the actions and decisions of an organisation, it will need to have in place specific policies to guide organisational behaviour. To ensure that the line of responsibility between board and management is clearly delineated, it is particularly important for the board to develop policies in relation to delegations. Also, under this topic are processes and procedures. Poor internal processes and procedures can lead to inadequate access to information, poor communication and uninformed decision making, resulting in a high level of dissatisfaction among directors. Enhancements to board meeting processes, meeting agendas, board papers and the board’s committee structure can often make the difference between a mediocre board and a high performing board.
8. Appoint a competent chairperson
Research has shown that board structure and formal governance regulations are less important in preventing governance breaches and corporate wrongdoing than the culture and trust created by the chairperson. As the “leader” of the board, the chairperson should demonstrate strong and acknowledged leadership ability, the ability to establish a sound relationship with the CEO, and have the capacity to conduct meetings and lead group decision-making processes.
9. Build a skills-based board
What is important for a board is that it has a good understanding of what skills it has and those skills it requires. Where possible, a board should seek to ensure that its members represent an appropriate balance between directors with experience and knowledge of the organisation and directors with specialist expertise or fresh perspective. Directors should also be considered on the additional qualities they possess, their “behavioural competencies”, as these qualities will influence the relationships around the boardroom table, between the board and management, and between directors and key stakeholders.
10. Evaluate board and director performance and pursue opportunities for improvement
Boards must be aware of their own strengths and weaknesses, if they are to govern effectively. Board effectiveness can only be gauged if the board regularly assesses its own performance and that of individual directors. Improvements to come from a board and director evaluation can include areas as diverse as board processes, director skills, competencies and motivation, or even boardroom relationships. It is critical that any agreed actions that come out of an evaluation are implemented and monitored. Boards should consider addressing weaknesses uncovered in board evaluations through director development programs and enhancing their governance processes.
En rappel, vous trouverez, ci-joint, une excellente publication de la NACD (National Association of Corporate Directors) qui présente les grands défis et les enjeux qui attendent les administrateurs de sociétés au cours des prochaines années.
Ce document est un recueil de textes publiés par les partenaires de la NACD : Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc., KPMG’s Audit Committee Institute, Marsh & McLennan Companies, NASDAQ OMX, Pearl Meyer & Partners et Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.
Vous y trouverez un ensemble d’articles très pertinents sur les sujets de l’heure en gouvernance. J’ai déjà publié un billet sur ce sujet le 23 juin 2013, en référence à cette publication.
Chaque année, la NACD se livre à cet exercice et publie un document très prisé !
Voici comment les firmes expertes se sont répartis les thèmes les plus « hot » en gouvernance. Bonne lecture.
Boardroom, Tremont Grand (Photo credit: Joel Abroad)
(1) What to Do When an Activist Investor Comes Calling par Heidrick & Struggle
(2) KPMG’s Audit Committee Priorities for 2013 par KPMG’s Audit Committee Institute
(3) Board Risk Checkup—Are You Ready for the Challenges Ahead ? par Marsh & McLennan Companies
(4) Boardroom Discussions par NASDAQ OMX
(5) Paying Executives for Driving Long-Term Success par Pearl Meyer & Partners
(6) What Boards Should Focus on in 2013 par Weil, Gotshal and Manges, LLP
Today, directors are operating in a new environment. Shareholders, regulators, and stakeholders have greater influence on the boardroom than ever before. In addition, risks and crisis situations are occurring with greater frequency and amplitude. Directors have a responsibility to ensure their companies are prepared for these challenges—present and future.This compendium provides insights and practical guidance from the nation’s leading boardroom experts—the National Association of Corporate Directors’ (NACD’s) strategic content partners—each recognized as a thought leader in their respective fields of corporate governance.
Cette semaine, nous avons demandé à Amanda Biggs, gestionnaire web et rédactrice en gouvernance, d’agir à titre d’auteure invitée. Son billet présente le basculement dans l’ère du numérique comme incontournable pour les entreprises et leurs instances dirigeantes.
Dématérialiser et digitaliser sont des termes que l’on retrouve à l’ordre du jour de nombreux conseils d’administration depuis quelques années.
Voici donc l’article en question, reproduit ici avec la permission de l’auteur. Vos commentaires sont appréciés. Bonne lecture.
La dématérialisation du conseil d’administration, un « must »
par Amanda Biggs
De quoi parle-t-on ?
La dématérialisation concerne l’ensemble des actions menées pour remplacer au sein d’une organisation les supports matériels d’information, de communication et de gestion par des fichiers et outils informatiques. C’est un processus propulsé par la révolution des technologies et qui s’inscrit dans une politique globale de zéro papier et d’acteurs interconnectés.
Où se déroule la digitalisation ?
Des échanges par courriel aux factures électroniques, il n’y a aucun métier qui échappe aux apports des nouvelles technologies de communication. Le conseil d’administration, garant de la bonne gouvernance au quotidien de l’organisation, doit donner le ton au sommet « the tone at the top ». Les administrateurs montrent l’exemple et se doivent d’embrasser les technologies pour leurs bénéfices mais également pour comprendre leur importance dans les activités et l’économie actuelle.
Efficacité, sécurité, responsabilité et leadership.
L’ère du digital et de l’interconnexion a bouleversé les structures traditionnelles de l’information et de la communication. Elle a aussi été source de nouveaux défis pour les conseils d’administration. En effet, une récente étude par Reuters confirme une augmentation de la taille des conseils, de la quantité de mandats détenus ainsi que le nombre de membres résidant dans des pays différents. De plus, avec l’accumulation et la démultiplication d’informations apportées par les nouvelles technologies, on assiste à un accroissement de l’épaisseur des pochettes d’informations des réunions des conseils. La gestion des réunions et d’une communication sécurisée entre membres deviennent ainsi de véritables challenges, complexes et couteux si des procédures papier sont maintenues.
ipad (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)
Pour répondre à ces nouveaux défis et accompagner la transition digitale des conseils d’administration, des spécialistes comme Leadingboards, Idside, Diligentboard ont développé des logiciels sous le nom de « board portals » qu’on appelle en français des « conseils-sans-papier ».Les administrateurs ont tout intérêt à adopter un tel outil informatique afin d’organiser et sécuriser leur information, la consulter au besoin et simultanément ainsi qu’accéder aux archives pour pratiquer une prise de décision éclairée.
Sachant que l’intelligence économique est une arme à part entière dans un contexte d’économie globalisée, les risques pesant sur les administrateurs sont démultipliés. On note que les documents papiers comportent un risque élevé de perte, d’oubli ou de vol. Pour éviter cela, de nombreux administrateurs utilisent désormais des courriels privés pour échanger, faisant naitre de nouveaux risques sous-estimés : ces comptes peuvent être piratés, les courriels interceptés ou stockés sous le « US Patriot Act ». Si les données sensibles des conseils ne sont pas hautement sécurisées, cela peut mettre en péril toute l’activité de la société ainsi que les intérêts des parties prenantes. C’est pourquoi les board portals offrent plusieurs niveaux de sécurité afin de garantir la confidentialité des échanges.
Pour terminer, on note une popularité croissante des appareils mobiles auprès des administrateurs grâce à leur mobilité bien entendu mais aussi pour les nombreuses fonctionnalités intuitives proposées. Pour rendre l’expérience digitale la plus agréable possible, certains conseils-sans-papiers disposent d’applications iPad dédiées. Ces applications permettent aux membres d’accéder aux informations de leur conseil en tout temps mais également de prendre des notes et de communiquer entre eux pour une gouvernance améliorée et exemplaire.
Il y a bel et bien des outils aux fonctionnalités avancées pour aider et faciliter le rôle des administrateurs tout en réduisant les risques. Un conseil d’administration 2.0 permet de répondre aux nouveaux enjeux économiques efficacement tout en participant aux objectifs d’un développement durable.
Voici un court billet de Tom Okarma, président fondateur de Vantage Point | For NonProfit, exposant certaines idées pour accroître l’efficacité de C.A. d’OBNL.
Ci-dessous, un extrait de son billet ainsi que quelques liens utiles pour améliorer la performance des « Boards ». Bonne lecture !
Here are a few ideas to help ministry and nonprofit leaders work more closely (and pleasurably) with their boards. Who knows, maybe everyone will actually start enjoying board meetings!
Nonprofit_Expo_01 (Photo credit: shawncalhoun)
Reconnect regularly with each director, one-to-one if possible, to tap into their wisdom, learn their perspective, and gain valuable confidential input
Invest to improve on your strengths through seminars, workshops, or conferences…like CLA 2014
Identify existing nonprofit board best practices and install the top two that you feel add the most value to your organization
When meeting with key external stakeholders, ask how they think the organization is performing
Be more available to your staff, volunteers, and key community partners
Become a director on another nonprofit or ministry board and gain valuable perspective of just what that is like
Review your calendar monthly and the organization’s budget to determine if you are allocating time and treasure in line with the year’s goals
Conduct periodic board update (they hate “training”) sessions
For a few other easy and effective ideas on how to improve board relations and effectiveness in 2014, read :
Voici un rapport de recherche publié par la firme Alvarez & Marsal, sur les qualités d’un bon président de conseil d’administration (PCA).
L’étude présente les résultats des entrevues menées auprès de 22 PCA des plus grandes sociétés publiques britanniques qui ont œuvrés avec plus de 120 PCA dans leurs carrières.
Cette lecture, vraiment fascinante, montre clairement les qualités des PCA qui sont considérées comme exceptionnelles par leurs pairs. Ci-dessous, un bref extrait du rapport.
« Our research has identified the key attributes displayed by exceptional chairmen in challenging times. Although most difficult to maintain during periods of duress, these characteristics are displayed throughout a chairman’s tenure and across all aspects of their management of the business. We have also compared these attributes with the guidance for chairmen provided by the Higgs Report and the more recent guidance note published by the Financial Reporting Council. This emphasises that ‘good boards are created by good chairmen’ and the importance of the chairman demonstrating ‘ethical leadership.’ In its detail, the guidance provides lists detailing the chairman’s role, rather than the qualities which come out of our research.
Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, 1987-2006 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Firstly, and most importantly, an exceptional chairman understands the business, its culture, people and processes. This understanding encompasses recognising and embodying the values of the business as much as having knowledge of the business operations and the marketplace. An exceptional chairman also understands the wider industry and prepares the company for all eventualities, from further market disruption to opportunities to improve competitiveness. This is based on their deep knowledge of the company and sector. Extensive knowledge of a sector or type of sector (e.g. heavy manufacturing) is as important as the chairman’s ability to apply his or her accumulated experiences into effecting transformational change and preparing the business for future challenges.
Secondly, exceptional chairmen never consider themselves a one-person success. They create strong teams that have real influence on the company’s direction by building an effective board of non-execs and establishing a complementary working relationship with the CEO and their team. They implement change through the CEO, but are ready and able to step in at the right time to provide air cover to alleviate pressure. In short, they provide strong active leadership of the board.
Not afraid to take tough decisions in adversity, this type of chairman has an infectious enthusiasm and commitment to change which has a ripple effect, creating a ‘can-do’ attitude throughout the company. With internal stakeholders on board, the chairman uses strong communication skills to engage shareholders and other external stakeholders with change ».
L’article présente 8 aspects qui caractérisent les présidents de conseil qui ont du succès. Lisez la suite dans cet excellent rapport.
Plusieurs administrateurs et formateurs me demandent de leur proposer un document de vulgarisation sur le sujet de la gouvernance. J’ai déjà diffusé sur mon blogue un guide à l’intention des journalistes spécialisés dans le domaine de la gouvernance des sociétés à travers le monde.
Il a été publié par le Global Corporate Governance Forum et International Finance Corporation (un organisme de la World Bank) en étroite coopération avec International Center for Journalists.
Je n’ai encore rien vu de plus complet et de plus pertinent sur la meilleure manière d’appréhender les multiples problématiques reliées à la gouvernance des entreprises mondiales. La direction de Global Corporate Governance Forum m’a fait parvenir le document en français le 14 février.
Ce guide est un outil pédagogique indispensable pour acquérir une solide compréhension des diverses facettes de la gouvernance des sociétés. Les auteurs ont multiplié les exemples de problèmes d’éthiques et de conflits d’intérêts liés à la conduite des entreprises mondiales. On apprend aux journalistes économiques – et à toutes les personnes préoccupées par la saine gouvernance – à raffiner les investigations et à diffuser les résultats des analyses effectuées.
Je vous recommande fortement de lire le document, mais aussi de le conserver en lieu sûr car il est fort probable que vous aurez l’occasion de vous en servir.
Vous trouverez ci-dessous quelques extraits de l’introduction à la version anglaise de l’ouvrage que j’avais publiée antérieurement.
« This Guide is designed for reporters and editors who already have some experience covering business and finance. The goal is to help journalists develop stories that examine how a company is governed, and spot events that may have serious consequences for the company’s survival, shareholders and stakeholders. Topics include the media’s role as a watchdog, how the board of directors functions, what constitutes good practice, what financial reports reveal, what role shareholders play and how to track down and use information shedding light on a company’s inner workings. Journalists will learn how to recognize “red flags,” or warning signs, that indicate whether a company may be violating laws and rules. Tips on reporting and writing guide reporters in developing clear, balanced, fair and convincing stories.
Three recurring features in the Guide help reporters apply “lessons learned” to their own “beats,” or coverage areas:
– Reporter’s Notebook: Advise from successful business journalists
– Story Toolbox: How and where to find the story ideas
– What Do You Know? Applying the Guide’s lessons
Each chapter helps journalists acquire the knowledge and skills needed to recognize potential stories in the companies they cover, dig out the essential facts, interpret their findings and write clear, compelling stories:
What corporate governance is, and how it can lead to stories. (Chapter 1, What’s good governance, and why should journalists care?)
How understanding the role that the board and its committees play can lead to stories that competitors miss. (Chapter 2, The all-important board of directors)
Shareholders are not only the ultimate stakeholders in public companies, but they often are an excellent source for story ideas. (Chapter 3, All about shareholders)
Understanding how companies are structured helps journalists figure out how the board and management interact and why family-owned and state-owned enterprises (SOEs), may not always operate in the best interests of shareholders and the public. (Chapter 4, Inside family-owned and state-owned enterprises)
Regulatory disclosures can be a rich source of exclusive stories for journalists who know where to look and how to interpret what they see. (Chapter 5, Toeing the line: regulations and disclosure)
Reading financial statements and annual reports — especially the fine print — often leads to journalistic scoops. (Chapter 6, Finding the story behind the numbers)
Developing sources is a key element for reporters covering companies. So is dealing with resistance and pressure from company executives and public relations directors. (Chapter 7, Writing and reporting tips)
Each chapter ends with a section on Sources, which lists background resources pertinent to that chapter’s topics. At the end of the Guide, a Selected Resources section provides useful websites and recommended reading on corporate governance. The Glossary defines terminology used in covering companies and corporate governance ».
Gouvernance | Jacques Grisé 