Conflict in the Board Room - An Association Management Company

June 2018 – Rick Szilagyi, Principal

While it is easy to be intimidated by a book of over 700 pages, Robert’s Rules of Order is meant to ensure two things:

Everyone is heard, and
The majority rules.

Disagreements arise in any group from time to time, and the board of a nonprofit is no exception. But differences of opinion are good and can drive positive outcomes.

Board members need to be respectful of their fellow board members, and the person chairing the meeting must make sure everyone has the opportunity to be heard. On more complex issues, this is best accomplished by the chair calling on each board member to state their opinion during the discussion phase.

Often, after the discussion, all board members can get behind a modified solution. And sometimes there can be a divide that remains, and the vote determines the direction. Once a vote determines a decision, it is expected that all board members will proceed in support of that decision. Should a board member be unable to do so, that board member has a decision to make, and perhaps we will discuss that another time.