Stakeholders have varying and sometimes complex relationships with other members their own stakeholder group, and often with members of other stakeholder groups. Even within stakeholder groups at the Academy, relationship dynamics may be complex. In the case of the Academy’s stakeholders, the faculty-student (between group) dynamics, the staff-faculty (between- group) dynamics, and the staff-staff (within-group) dynamics may be complex when board membership peer dynamics are overlain on top of existing non-peer working relationship dynamics.

Some of this complexity arises because, once governance work is completed, peer relationships change. A student member of the board may, for example, encounter a situation in which, after a board meeting, their academic work is graded by a faculty member who is also on the board. The faculty member serves in this case not as a peer of the student outside of governance work, but as someone in authority over them, i.e., in a gatekeeping position over the student’s progress on the program.

Or, a senior staff member the Academy who serves on the board in a staff role may be required to evaluate the non-governance related job performance of a junior staff member who also fills a staff seat on the board. While these two individuals work together on the board, they are peers, but once this work is done their relationship changes. The relationship is no longer a peer dynamic outside of governance work.

Many variants of these kinds of changing dynamics can be envisaged, depending on the unique relationship that may exist between two individuals as they move in and out of governance work. These kinds of relationships have always existed on the Academy’s board. For example, the Executive Director and faculty employees served historically as voting members.

From a governance perspective, the dynamics among stakeholder groups may therefore be complex. In endorsing this new stakeholder-based approach to governance, a key principle is continuous attention to these kinds of potential difficulties, coupled with mindful and collegial interpersonal dynamics.

The Board Development committee is available to serve as a resource and source of mentoring, advice, or mediation, if assistance is required in these kinds of situations.