Educating the board: HR plays an increasingly vital role in helping directors gain the skills and experience they need to oversee complex corporate activities

HR Magazine, Feb, 2005 by Susan J. Wells

That's something to which Jerry Ballard can attest. Ballard, vice president of HR operations in the Memphis, Tenn., operations headquarters of The ServiceMaster Co., was a little taken aback when company chairman and CEO Jonathan Ward asked Ballard and the company's general counsel to set up a detailed orientation and education process for new members of the company's 12-person board.

"I was surprised--but pleasantly so--at the involvement of HR with the board," says Ballard. "Yet, it makes sense. In our business, people make the difference, so HR is a logical fit for these responsibilities."

It's been two years since Ballard got the call from Ward. The program he helped set up is currently in place and takes a full year to complete. The goal is "a full, hands-on indoctrination to all aspects of the business," says Ballard. "It's a total immersion in that unit, where directors spend two days learning and asking questions," he adds.

Along with providing a detailed history of the company and briefings on its growth and impact, a significant part of the orientation is field-location visits for each division of the business, where directors meet with the unit's president and its frontline employees, Ballard says.

"HR rides right alongside our directors in the car on all of these visits to be an immediate resource, answer questions and make sure the goals of the visit are met," he says. The company also requires a mandatory "We Serve" day as continuing education for board members, during which they spend additional time in a field business unit at least once a year.

A month after these visits, directors are asked for formal feedback. The results are used to constantly upgrade, change and improve the orientation methods. As an example, board members told the company they didn't want to visit branch units when hourly workers weren't there.

"That meant we had to get our board members out in the field at 6 a.m.--before the workers left the site for jobs," Ballard says.

Today, Ballard is the point person and ambassador for board members' guidance on any people issues.

"To be a counselor or confidant to company leadership, you have to show them the importance of your contribution and the value of the HR information you know," Ballard says. "As more and more board members expect this level of detail, I think we'll see HR becoming even more involved with the board.

"When you think about it, HR is already responsible for orientation of every other employee of the company, so why not board members, too?" he says. "To think of it any differently is probably the wrong way to think about it."

Becoming Involved

Above all, experts say, take on the role--if your company doesn't have a formal director orientation or education program, start one. If done well, a focus on director education can improve a board's ability to excel as strategic assets for the companies they serve--a goal that should be shared by all members of corporate leadership, including HR.

Gail Aldrich, SPHR, who had responsibility for organizing and arranging board orientation and educational meetings as an HR officer at three California companies, urges HR professionals to be proactive in helping their top leadership improve upon board effectiveness.