The Walker Company GovernanceWORKS

Building better boards.

GovernanceWORKS™ is a complete and comprehensive governance development solution for hospitals and health system boards of trustees. Through GovernanceWORKS™, The Walker Company will serve as a dedicated governance development resource to your hospital’s board and senior management, providing continuity, independent and informed outside viewpoints, and practical, organized and coordinated approaches to improving governance and leadership.

The GovernanceWORKS™ program seamlessly integrates trustee orientation, education, self-assessment, recruitment and other board-building services into a cohesive, seamless, and affordable package that is customized to your hospital’s unique needs. Your hospital will gain the benefits of continuity, consistency of approach, and governance-building solutions driven by a clear and focused understanding of your market and governance culture.

Access to an informed, perspective on governance-building issues, problems, challenges and opportunities, based on our experience working with other healthcare clients in different settings
Continuity of access to the varied board-building services and experience of The Walker Company. We work as part of your team to help develop strategic governance, anticipate emerging governance problems and challenges and develop timely governance solutions. We develop an in-depth knowledge and understanding of your hospital’s unique governance needs and opportunities, and help you to implement solutions quickly and precisely
The ability to call on The Walker Company at any time for assistance with any governance issue, challenge or question. Regular access to our facilitation and planning resources will strategically augment your existing capabilities, creating synergy and a continuity of focus
Elimination of the time, expense and uncertainty of submitting requests for proposal and/or seeking outside assistance for certain assignments which are able to be included as part of our GovernanceWORKS™ services
The advantage of reduced fees for any additional consulting required to address needs not presently identified allows you to accomplish more at a lower cost.

Governance Diagnostix™
Governance Diagnostix™ is a comprehensive governance audit that analyzes the board’s current leadership style and functions. It includes an analysis of the board’s structure, composition, governance-related documents (bylaws, policies and procedures, recent meeting minutes, agendas, progress measurement systems, self-assessment results, committees, etc.), trustee orientation process, strategic plan, board member recruitment process, and other areas that provide insight into ways to improve governing performance.

AssessmentWORKS™
AssessmentWORKS™ is an annual board self-assessment that has been proven over the years by use with many clients to be a comprehensive performance improving process. Our AssessmentWORKS™ service includes development of leadership effectiveness rating criteria, assessment administration, development of a report of findings, on-site discussion, and assistance with development of a board leadership improvement plan using our “Governance Gain” leadership improvement prioritization toolkit.

SuccessionWORKS™
SuccessionWORKS™ features the design and implementation of a long-term trustee succession planning and recruitment process, including determination of factors to consider when identifying new trustees to be appointed to the board, and development of a long-range trustee recruitment plan that ensures your hospital will have the proper trustee resources to lead the organization into the future.

KnowledgeWORKS™
KnowledgeWORKS™ is a combination of governance information provided through various Walker Company publications, and presentations delivered onsite at board meetings and retreats, or via CD.

Our governance publication content is wide-ranging and diverse, offering trustees a wealth of resources that can improve governance processes, strategic thinking and leadership development. All publications are downloadable as Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) files.

Trustee Foundations™ is an integrated package of educational programming designed to enhance trustees’ ability to provide strong and effective strategic leadership to your hospital. The Trustee Foundations™ Leadership Series features presentations and high-quality handouts and supporting materials, and employs presentation and discussion methods unique to the individual learning objectives. The programs may be delivered individually or combined together into a custom combination as part of a more comprehensive program.

GovernanceWORKS™ core services are charged at an annual fee based on the projected intensity of service use. You determine what your board needs most, and we’ll work with you to design a customized approach to meet those needs. Once a basic package of services is identified and a work plan is assembled, a fee is determined. Payments are typically made on a monthly basis, and include approved out-of-pocket expenses. Retreats, strategic planning, market research and other optional services are significantly discounted to GovernanceWORKS™ subscribers.