Governance designed for the organisation you are now
Governance models, decision-making structures, risk management and compliance arrangements for organisations that have outgrown the structures they started with.
Why this is hard.
Most governance problems are not failures of intent. They are the result of an organisation still running on arrangements designed for the size, structure and risk profile it had five or ten years ago.
The symptoms are recognisable: decisions that nobody can locate the authority for, a board that either rubber-stamps or micro-manages, risk registers that are updated for audits and consulted at no other time, and compliance requirements that multiply without anyone asking whether they still fit together.
We work on governance as a design problem, including for organisations, such as networks and federations, where no standard model fits.
What we work on here.
- 01 governance models and structures
- 02 board roles, composition and effectiveness
- 03 decision-making authority and delegation
- 04 network, federation and membership governance
- 05 fiscal hosting arrangements
- 06 risk management frameworks and risk appetite
- 07 compliance mapping across jurisdictions
- 08 internal controls and reporting lines
- 09 conflict of interest and ethics arrangements
- 10 governance for organisations in transition, growth or restructuring
- 11 integration of governance, risk and compliance so they operate as one system
How our services apply here.
This is a subject area, not a service. You commission one of the five below, applied to it.
| Service | Applied to Governance, Risk & Compliance |
|---|---|
| Research & Assessment | Governance and decision-making review; board effectiveness assessment; GRC assessment; mapping how decisions are actually made |
| Frameworks, Policy & Governance | Governance models, terms of reference, delegation frameworks, risk frameworks, compliance architecture, governance guides |
| Learning Design & Delivery | Board and trustee development; governance training for senior staff; risk and compliance learning |
| Facilitation & Conflict Work | Board retreats; facilitated discussion of governance options and trade-offs; resolving authority disputes |
| Advisory & Accompaniment | Board and leadership advisory; support through governance transitions; annual governance review |
Questions organisations bring us.
- "Our board and executive keep colliding. Where is the boundary supposed to be?"
- "We are a network of eleven organisations. No standard governance model fits us."
- "We have grown fast and nobody is sure who decides what any more."
- "We have a risk register. It has never changed a decision."
- "We operate in six jurisdictions with conflicting compliance requirements."
Selected work.
Governance for a global advocacy network
CTDC developed several governance options, explored their implications with the board, and turned the agreed model into a practical governance guide covering member participation, board oversight and day-to-day delivery.
Related areas of work
Talk to us about governance.
Tell us the issue, the decision or the change in front of you. We will tell you honestly which of the five services fits, whether you need more than one, and whether CTDC is the right organisation for it.
The first conversation is free and carries no obligation.
