The 2019 Govern for Impact Conference

According to the Carver model of Policy Governance, “The Board’s first direct product is the organization’s linkage to the ownership.” This presentation will discuss the approach that two organizations, International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Newfoundland and Labrador (PEGNL), have taken towards ownership linkages. 

The ISA promotes the professional practice of tree care for over 24,000 members/owners worldwide. The ISA Board acts as the link between the owners (members) and the operational organization.  Linkage with the ownership requires an affirmative outreach to not just the most vocal but also to the silent segments as well. With 56 component organizations representing geographical and professional segments of our profession linkage is a challenge. We will share with you our plan, methods we’ve used, and some of what we’ve found after first three years of coordinated linkage activities. 

PEGNL is a provincial organization which regulates the practice of engineering and geoscience in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. In 2017 the PEGNL board undertook a process to enhance its strategic foresight by using narrative scenarios to facilitate the consideration of a range of possible futures. The board identified two issues that would have the most impact on the organization in the next 5 to 10 years, climate change and the economy, through interviews with key thinkers representing segments of the ownership. The board then developed these two issues into four narrative scenarios to understand the impact of the two polar opposite cases for each issue. The scenarios were then brought to a selected group of owners and stakeholders for feedback in a facilitated focus group setting, with the results being compiled and used as an input to the boards annual ends review.