Media Release – My Board Strengths

16 March 2011

MEDIA RELEASE

Online tool launched for women who want to serve on boards

The Ministry of Women’s Affairs today launched my board strengths, a unique online self-assessment tool to help women who want to serve on boards.

‘We identified the need for such a tool some time ago and thought it must already exist somewhere in the world,’ said Pamela Cohen, Director of the Ministry’s Nominations Service. ‘We searched internationally and spoke to governance experts here, but couldn’t find any online resource that could be adapted to our needs.’

‘Our aim was to provide personalised governance advice. We wanted an online tool that would help women assess their current skills and give them tailored information on the types of roles that might be suitable, and on how to develop their governance skills for the future.’ 

Users can choose to take part in virtual board meetings to experience the board room environment in a private online setting. This is particularly valuable for women, because women often undervalue their skills, and may be discouraged from applying for governance roles because they don’t have a clear understanding of how their skills could be applied.

Ms Cohen said the Ministry’s Nominations Service is primarily focussed on increasing the number of women on state sector boards and committees and wanted to provide better service to the 3,000 women on its database, while extending services to the thousands of women who were looking for board roles in the private and not-for-profit sectors, and in Māori organisations and businesses.

To meet that need, MWA developed my board strengths with the help of a range of experts, including a governance specialist and an organisational psychologist.
Ms Cohen said my board strengths, together with the rest of the Ministry’s redesigned women on boards web pages, would provide women with the knowledge and tools to pursue governance opportunities independently of the Nominations Service.

‘We will be able to provide better service, to more women, and as a result New Zealand should benefit by making better use of women’s skills in the boardroom,’ she said.

My board strengths can be found at www.mwa.govt.nz/women-on-boards

My board strengths Q&A

What is my board strengths?

My board strengths is an online governance self-assessment and development tool aimed at women who are, or wish to be, board directors. It provides tailored advice to help users develop their experience and skills, and identifies governance roles for which they may be suitable.

Users of my board strengths go through a 30 to 45 minute series of questions assessing their governance and professional experience (types and levels), a self assessment against governance competencies, and a governance scenario (virtual board meeting) which tests aspects of the governance competencies. 

My board strengths applies an algorithm, based on the assessment methods used by the Ministry’s Nominations Service, to determine each user’s level of experience. This level of experience is then used to allocate suitable board roles and tailor the scenarios to the user. My board strengths has 12 possible scenarios divided by three levels (little/no experience, experienced and very experienced) and four sectors (business, government, Māori, community).

What research and work underpins my board strengths?

MWA completed two important pieces of work that inform the content of my board strengths; a cross-sector governance map (the map) and a targeted review of literature.
The governance map illustrates the main types of governance roles in New Zealand according to level (e.g. size and significance of entity) and sector. The map is used to place a user’s experience within a larger context. This enables my board strengths to rank experience on general levels and provide more accurate recommendations of potential future board roles.

MWA also completed a targeted review of literature on the skills and competencies needed for governance roles, both in New Zealand and internationally. The aim of this review was to find a distinct set of skills and competencies that directors need to take on board roles across any sector, and thus provide a solid evidence base for the tool’s development.

The literature contained strong common themes about the needed competencies.

We identified that the top five competencies for a non-executive board director are: interpersonal skills; financial understanding; strategic planning; analytical thinking; good judgement.

How was my board strengths developed and tested?

MWA worked with a range of experts to develop my board strengths. We engaged a governance expert to define the behaviours associated with each competency at different levels, and create case study organisations on which to base the scenarios. These behaviours and case studies were worked into the self assessment and virtual board meeting sections by an organisational psychologist.

My board strengths has been internally and externally tested. The external testing process involved approximately 40 women registered with the Service trialling a draft version of my board strengths. The majority of feedback was very positive, particularly on the realistic nature of the scenarios and the way the self-assessment encourages reflection on personal strengths and development needs.

Who will use my board strengths?

My board strengths’ primary audience is the women registered with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs’ Nominations Service. However, my board strengths will be useful to any New Zealand women interested in governance roles and will be available to anyone via the internet.

While it has been designed to help women seeking board roles, my board strengths can also be used by men.

How much did it cost?

The total development cost for the tool was approximately $80,000, excluding time spent by MWA staff.

My board strengths will deliver significant gains in efficiency and effectiveness. MWA currently provides information about state sector board roles, and how to gain these roles, to women registered with the Nominations Service via email updates, website, and face-to-face or telephone conversations. My board strengths will make personalised assessment and advice available to women whenever they want it and will also be able to reach thousands of other women seeking governance roles in the private, Māori and not-for-profit sectors.

Contacts:

Rod Scotts
(04) 916 5842
027 4330 386

Jayne McCullum
(04) 916 5821

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