Want an Alternative to PG? Try the S.A.D. Governance Model

  Susan Mogensen        June 14, 2021

The S.A.D. Governance Model has three rules:

1. SELF-INTEREST: Don’t be accountable to anyone. When you join a board or governing body of any type, make it clear that you are there purely for your own interest, and not to be accountable to anyone else, especially not to legal/moral owners, citizens, members, shareholders, etc.
2. AVOID ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES: While role clarity might work for sports teams, nobody is paying you $10 million/year to be a board member (probably), and so there is no need to “stay in your lane” or be clear about who does what. Your contribution happens by doing whatever you like. (See rule #1).
3. DELETE ALL POLICIES: For the S.A.D. Governance Model to work, it’s critical to delete all policies and to avoid writing anything down. As soon as a policy is written down, someone will probably expect something to get done, or want to check for “compliance.” (See also rules #1 and #2).

Seriously, though, we have always found that one thing guaranteed to be more challenging than good governance is bad governance. If you are witnessing bad (or S.A.D.) governance in action, and want the benefits of Policy Governance, set up a call with us today.

See also: Top Five Reasons We Use Policy Governance Principles