Written by Chantelle Harris, Housing sector.
What do boards in Wales need to thrive in a changing environment and how can we better prepare the next generation of board members?
That was one of the questions at the heart of our recent Chair Connect discussion, bringing together Chairs and governance leaders from across Wales to explore board effectiveness, development and the skills needed for the future.
One of the most prevalent themes was that effective boards need more than a traditional skills matrix. Technical expertise remains important, but so do lived experience, diversity of thought and a genuine understanding of the communities an organisation serves. That resonates strongly with what I’m seeing in the Welsh housing sector, where boards are navigating increasing complexity while staying closely connected to tenants, communities and place.
There was a strong sense that boards also need to keep evolving. Recruiting against the skills that were important five years ago will not necessarily equip an organisation for the challenges ahead. Safeguarding, changing customer expectations, new technology and increasingly complex partnerships all reinforce the need to think ahead about the blend of skills, perspectives and behaviours around the board table.
We also explored what good board development looks like in practice. The relationship between Chair and Chief Executive is critical: the best relationships combine support and constructive challenge, with enough trust for both sides to test thinking openly. Different organisations will draw the line between support and governance in different places, but clarity about roles, responsibilities and behaviours is essential.
That links closely to psychological safety. High-performing boards need to create an environment where people can ask difficult questions, challenge assumptions and admit when they do not have all the answers. Regular reflection, open feedback and tools such as 360-degree feedback can all help create that culture.
Individual development matters too. Self-reflection, structured feedback and meaningful appraisal should help board members understand not simply whether they are fulfilling the role, but how they can increase their contribution. In Wales, there is also an opportunity to think about that contribution in the context of wider national and community priorities.
And, of course, succession planning cannot begin when a vacancy appears. Boards need to think much earlier about future challenges, the capabilities they will require and how they can build a stronger pipeline of future board talent. That means opening up routes into governance and making board opportunities feel accessible to people who may not previously have seen themselves in these roles.
The message I took away was that board development is not a one-off exercise or simply a response to a skills gap. It is an ongoing commitment to building resilient, representative and forward-looking boards-boards that understand their communities, challenge well and are equipped for what comes next.
Beth sydd ei angen ar fyrddau yng Nghymru i ffynnu mewn amgylchedd sy’n newid a sut allwn ni baratoi’r genhedlaeth nesaf o aelodau bwrdd yn well?
Dyna oedd un o’r cwestiynau wrth wraidd ein trafodaeth ddiweddar, Chair Connect, gan ddod â Chadeiryddion ac arweinwyr llywodraethu o bob cwr o Gymru ynghyd i archwilio effeithiolrwydd, datblygiad a’r sgiliau sydd eu hangen ar gyfer y dyfodol byrddau.
Un o’r themâu mwyaf cyffredin oedd bod angen mwy na matrics sgiliau traddodiadol ar fyrddau effeithiol. Mae arbenigedd technegol yn parhau i fod yn bwysig, ond felly hefyd brofiad byw, amrywiaeth o feddwl a dealltwriaeth wirioneddol o’r cymunedau y mae sefydliad yn eu gwasanaethu. Mae hynny’n atseinio’n gryf â’r hyn rwy’n ei weld yn y sector tai yng Nghymru, lle mae byrddau’n llywio cymhlethdod cynyddol wrth aros mewn cysylltiad agos â thenantiaid, cymunedau a lle.
Roedd ymdeimlad cryf bod angen i fyrddau hefyd barhau i esblygu. Ni fydd recriwtio yn erbyn y sgiliau a oedd yn bwysig bum mlynedd yn ôl o reidrwydd yn paratoi sefydliad ar gyfer yr heriau sydd o’n blaenau. Mae diogelu, disgwyliadau cwsmeriaid sy’n newid, technoleg newydd a phartneriaethau cynyddol gymhleth i gyd yn atgyfnerthu’r angen i feddwl ymlaen llaw am y cyfuniad o sgiliau, safbwyntiau ac ymddygiadau o amgylch bwrdd y bwrdd.
Archwiliwyd hefyd sut olwg sydd ar ddatblygiad bwrdd da yn ymarferol. Mae’r berthynas rhwng y Cadeirydd a’r Prif Weithredwr yn hollbwysig: mae’r perthnasoedd gorau yn cyfuno cefnogaeth a her adeiladol, gyda digon o ymddiriedaeth i’r ddwy ochr brofi meddwl yn agored. Bydd gwahanol sefydliadau’n tynnu’r llinell rhwng cefnogaeth a llywodraethu mewn gwahanol leoedd, ond mae eglurder ynghylch rolau, cyfrifoldebau ac ymddygiadau yn hanfodol.
Mae hynny’n cysylltu’n agos â diogelwch seicolegol. Mae angen i fyrddau sy’n perfformio’n dda greu amgylchedd lle gall pobl ofyn cwestiynau anodd, herio rhagdybiaethau a chyfaddef pan nad oes ganddynt yr holl atebion. Gall myfyrio rheolaidd, adborth agored ac offer fel adborth 360 gradd i gyd helpu i greu’r diwylliant hwnnw.
Mae datblygiad unigol yn bwysig hefyd. Dylai hunan-fyfyrio, adborth strwythuredig ac arfarnu ystyrlon helpu aelodau’r bwrdd i ddeall nid yn unig a ydynt yn cyflawni’r rôl, ond sut y gallant gynyddu eu cyfraniad. Yng Nghymru, mae cyfle hefyd i feddwl am y cyfraniad hwnnw yng nghyd-destun blaenoriaethau cenedlaethol a chymunedol ehangach.
Ac, wrth gwrs, ni all cynllunio olyniaeth ddechrau pan fydd swydd wag yn ymddangos. Mae angen i fyrddau feddwl yn llawer cynharach am heriau’r dyfodol, y galluoedd y bydd eu hangen arnynt a sut y gallant adeiladu piblinell gryfach o dalent bwrdd y dyfodol. Mae hynny’n golygu agor llwybrau i lywodraethu a gwneud cyfleoedd bwrdd yn teimlo’n hygyrch i bobl nad oeddent efallai wedi gweld eu hunain yn y rolau hyn o’r blaen.
Y neges a gymerais i ffwrdd oedd nad ymarfer untro yw datblygu bwrdd nac ymateb i fwlch sgiliau yn unig. Mae’n ymrwymiad parhaus i adeiladu byrddau gwydn, cynrychioliadol a blaengar – byrddau sy’n deall eu cymunedau, yn herio’n dda ac sydd wedi’u paratoi ar gyfer yr hyn sy’n dod nesaf.