33
The dual role of most of the governance
professionals in this study places them in a
privileged position but it also presents a dilemma
at times in having to decide whether to use
their knowledge/influence to bolster the chair or
the principal/CEO. This was particularly evident
in our observations of board meetings when
the governance professional was responsible
for preparing and reporting on key operational
documentation, such as the Strategic Risk
Register and Annual Report. However, where
challenges were made by board members, the
governance professional was able to draw on the
knowledge accruing to this privileged position to
mediate the discussion, thereby enacting both
roles at the same time.
The governance professional therefore occupies
a complex and ambiguous position, being
'one step removed' from both the operational
management of the college and the processes
of governance, while also being perceived
by others to be 'a strong and clear owner
of the board structure'. This ambiguity
was acknowledged by several governance
professionals, one of whom said that:
7.5��Enactments�of�the�governance�
professional role
Our analyses revealed how the governance
professional engages in mediation practices to
act as 'smoothing agent' (Swabey, 2017) and
'boundary spanner' (McKenzie, 2019). We also
observed that the governance professional works
as a 'translator' (Ireland, 2019; Law, 1992) to
embody, and thus shape, college governing
processes and practices.
The smoothing agent
We observed how governance professionals
enacted the role of sounding board, tension
signaller (to the chair), and conflict reducer
during board meetings. They also pre-empt
these disruptions by acting as coach and
mentor behind the scenes, as this governance
professional describes:
Similarly, our analyses revealed that the
governance professional is an active player in
conflict resolution which can arise from the
healthy tensions of governance. However subtle
these practices may seem, they allow governance
professional to facilitate and maintain a board's
ability to function. In acting as smoothing agent,
governance professionals also occupy a privileged
position, because they are the one person in the
"�I�think�you�have�an�interesting�role�to�
play�because�you�are�able�to�have�a�
close�dialogue�with�the�CEO,�you're�
able to have close dialogue with the
Chair, and one of the important parts
of�the�role�in�my�opinion�is�that�you're�
able�to�take�an�objective�viewpoint�on�
things�that�may�be�emotive�to�others."
"�there�is�always�that�slight�friction�
around the margins of where does the
strategic and governance element of
it stop, and where does the executive
and operational side of it begin?"
" I will coach chairs, I will coach
members�on�the�best�way�forward�
because we have had examples of
new members that have come in and
have been a bit verbose in meetings
and�not�really�getting�it,�if�you�know�
what�I�mean�…�There's�a�degree�of�
coaching and training that goes on,
on an individual basis as well …
discuss with him [new governor] what
his�concerns�are�and�just�try�and�ease�
his�tensions,�if�you�like,�in�terms�of�the�
way�he's�feeling."