What was our brief?

As a consequence of the ODPM regime applying at the time it was established, Berneslai had a complex governance structure. There were three separate Boards, numerous sub-committees and considerable duplication of effort. This framework was far from conducive to good working relationships and effective decision-making. Our brief was to investigate the underlying problems and come up with a clear set of recommendations to be reviewed by the Berneslai Governance Group.

What did we do?

In light of the strong feelings and wide range of views held by different stakeholders we had to design a process that would deliver a clear and robust set of recommendations. Rather than choosing a single method we devised a “three-cord” approach that combined: empirical analysis in the form of a questionnaire; comment, through the mechanism of a series of one-on-one interviews; and observation, by sitting in on two Board meetings.

What were the results?

The end product was a user-friendly board Report drawing on the key-findings from our analysis, interviews and observations. This was accompanied by a two page Executive Summary of our principal recommendations. The “three cord” approach provided a robust foundation. Our report was accepted with only minor amendments by the Governance Group and Berneslai has now moved on to the next stage in the process.