Thinking of boards as families

As hospitals forge new strategic partnerships, the question of "what to do about the board" is always prominent. But before hospital boards can look at governance roles, composition, and structure in integrated mechanisms, many need to take a hard look at themselves, writes long-time board observer John Witt. In this perspective, he argues that many boards act like dysfunctional families: They appear normal and even successful until a crisis occurs to reveal underlying malfunctions. Both families and boards can help themselves by working on who they function as a group, he says.