Effectiveness Review of Council 2013 - Cardiff University

12/710
There is a good balance of skills, in business, finance, legal, risk, public, private etc. That
enables 360 degree consideration before decisions are made.
There is a longstanding problem in the University, particularly as a result of the previous
VC's management style, of the administrative tail being allowed to wag the academic dog.
This has affected the way in which priorities are set, and this needs to change.
Too much discussion of operations/detail
We need people who can apply good *judgment*; this comes from many different
backgrounds. But having someone who knows the lingo and expectations in key operational
fields is a very useful thing to give Council assurance
6. Do you think Council meetings engender sufficient challenge to be able to call the
executive to account?
Yes: 8
No: 2
Sometimes: 14
Other: 0
7. Do you think that Council meetings and Awaydays promote clear strategic development?
Please comment below
Awaydays are the best for promoting strategic plans.
Council meetings are developing a clear direction. Awaydays helpful.
Council meetings are more effective than awaydays. Awaydays are used largely by the
Management for propaganda purposes.
I hope so.
I support focussed meeting for strategy and the awaydays are the correct means to achieve
this
I think the Away day does, however, Council meetings are less good at this and as a
consequence we can appear to deal with strategy only once a year. I think that Lay
members should give some thought to how the routine of Council business develops and
promotes the agreed strategy.
I'm never sure whether they should do or not. There isn't much strategic development rather
assurance of the executives strategy which is probably what they should be doing.
If this question is about whether meetings offer an opportunity for members to significantly
engage with the development of University strategy, I do not think they do. Having been a
member of Council for almost three years now, I find that strategic development has not
been a collaborative effort between the University and Council members. In the past, I often
felt we were being presented a ready-made strategy and our role was simply to adhere to it.
However, I see signs that this is now changing.
Increasingly.
It helps info exchange among council members and good presentations strengthen their
ability to act as effective ambassadors for CU
No - see above.
No. We need to review the role of Council in developing strategy and how Council's input fits
into the strategic planning process.
Sometimes
Sometimes. The awaydays have been useful but things tend to get presented piecemeal as
fait accompli at the business meetings rather than a overall strategy.
12