Here’s a brief description of a board self-assessment vs. an external third-party evaluation, followed by our tips below.
Self-assessment
- The board evaluates itself, normally initiated by the Chair with practical help from the company secretary, legal counsel, Nomination Committee or external partners
- Can be in the format of a (paper- or online) questionnaire and / or in the format of the Chair carrying out a mini-interview of each board member as well the CEO, CFO, and other key leaders
- Some use both questionnaire and interviews, others use only one of the methods
- Typically done annually
External evaluation
- External partner sets up and carries out this third-party evaluation
- Should consist of individual in-depth interviews and ideally be combined with an online questionnaire
- Usually also includes several special analyses such as those listed in the document below
- Usually includes one or more sessions run by the external partner, interpreting the results and giving concrete feedback and suggestions for improvement
- Typically conducted at least every 3 years
Use the form below to download a PDF with our tips on the differences, pros and cons of self-assessment vs external evaluation.
For more information, feel free to contact us at reception@leadershipadvisorgroup.com
Interested in self-evaluation? Try Online Board Evaluations
Well-aligned with national corporate and foundation/charity governance codes, our board clients usually conduct an external board evaluation every three years. However, most national governance codes recommend that boards perform a self-evaluation in the years between external board evaluations. Therefore, we have developed OnlineBoardEvaluations.com, a tool enabling boards to self-evaluate effectively and effortlessly every year.
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