Probably the greatest challenge of board meetings is that of dealing with the time factor. As the agendas grow more crowded and the decisions more complex, there is a dire need to look for ways to reduce meeting times without giving up productivity. Consent agendas have also been another workable solution many organizations operate within. This paper aims at outlining how the use of consent agendas has been used in bringing board meetings to incredibly short lengths while maintaining necessary tasks well done efficiently.
A consent agenda is a tool of board meetings that assists in putting regular, non-controversial items together as one single agenda item. Besides debating every one of them, the board approves them with a single vote without any debate. Items which can commonly be placed on a consent agenda may include:
These things, when grouped together on a consent agenda, free up valuable meeting time for board members to discuss and vote on the really important items. Board members still can request that an item be pulled from the consent agenda if they feel discussion of the matter is necessary, but otherwise the process is streamlined.
Perhaps the major advantage with the use of a consent agenda is the saving on time. Routine matters that do not need in-depth discussions waste time during board meetings. Through the use of a consent agenda, boards may approve such matters in a speedy way and focus their attention on strategic issues that need in-depth discussion.
Other key benefits include:
For organizations using a board portal, the process of implementing consent agendas is further facilitated. Board members can review consent items ahead of the meeting and request additional information or clarification through the board portal, further reducing any deep discussion during the meeting.
While a consent agenda does take clear communications and an organized manner of approach, it is easy to get a board started with this simple step:
This will give the boards a clear-cut way to start working on how to implement consent agendas as part of their board operations and subsequently realize much-needed efficiency in terms of saving time.
For boards already using a board portal, adopting consent agendas is the natural next step. Board portals provide a secure and effective means of distributing documents, tracking meeting minutes, and keeping board members up to date with the latest news. Adding a consent agenda in a board portal can make the process even smoother by providing board members with the opportunity to review and approve items from anywhere at any time.
Through the use of the board portal, board members are in a position where they can:
This level of efficiency makes the employment of consent agendas not only practical but highly effective in keeping board meetings shorter while remaining fully transparent and engaging.
In fact, the use of consent agendas in board meetings significantly saves time with no impact on the quality of discussions or decisions. Boards oriented around strategy and high-priority discussion items provide an opportunity for increasing productivity through meetings, ensuring a good use of time for each person present. For those organizations already using a board portal, using consent agendas can be a painless yet significant change that will yield positive impacts on the overall governance process.