Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Working Knowledge
Business Research for Business Leaders
  • Browse All Articles
  • Popular Articles
  • Cold Call Podcast
  • Managing the Future of Work Podcast
  • About Us
  • Book
  • Leadership
  • Marketing
  • Finance
  • Management
  • Entrepreneurship
  • All Topics...
  • Topics
    • COVID-19
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Finance
    • Gender
    • Globalization
    • Leadership
    • Management
    • Negotiation
    • Social Enterprise
    • Strategy
  • Sections
    • Book
    • Podcasts
    • HBS Case
    • In Practice
    • Lessons from the Classroom
    • Op-Ed
    • Research & Ideas
    • Research Event
    • Sharpening Your Skills
    • What Do You Think?
    • Working Paper Summaries
  • Browse All
    Nonprofit Boards: It is Time to Lift Your Gaze and See the System
    14 Dec 2020Working Paper Summaries

    Nonprofit Boards: It is Time to Lift Your Gaze and See the System

    by Shamal Dass, Kristy Muir, and V. Kasturi Rangan
    Not every organization should attempt to solve problems at a system level, but can become more aware of systemic issues, ensuring that solutions dovetail into the macrosystem for best collective impact.
    LinkedIn
    Email

    Author Abstract

    Nonprofits the world over have faced significant crises in 2020, leaving them and their constituents in precarious positions. Responses to these crises have demonstrated incredible agility. However, they have also demonstrated that the first two levels of governance (level 1: fiduciary responsibility and level 2: organizational performance) are not sufficient in reimagining a new normal. The pandemic and the social justice movements remind us that nonprofit boards need to lift their gaze beyond level 2, and strive for systems impact. We call it level 3 governance. We’ve seen incredible agility by nonprofits throughout these crises; and systems thinking has long been understood to be a sound way to consider and address complex social problems. Thus, the timing is ripe to bring the two together, and nonprofit boards must take the leadership in doing so. Applying systems thinking at the board level has not been normal practice. This paper provides a framework for how boards might do so and, in turn, govern beyond their organization and meet the social purpose for which their organizations exist.

    Paper Information

    • Full Working Paper Text
    • Working Paper Publication Date: November 2020
    • HBS Working Paper Number: HBS Working Paper 21-058
    • Faculty Unit(s): Marketing
      Trending
        • 24 Jan 2023
        • Research & Ideas

        Passion at Work Is a Good Thing—But Only If Bosses Know How to Manage It

        • 17 Jan 2023
        • In Practice

        8 Trends to Watch in 2023

        • 19 Jan 2023
        • Research & Ideas

        What Makes Employees Trust (vs. Second-Guess) AI?

        • 25 Jan 2022
        • Research & Ideas

        More Proof That Money Can Buy Happiness (or a Life with Less Stress)

        • 10 Jan 2023
        • Research & Ideas

        How to Live Happier in 2023: Diversify Your Social Circle

    V. Kasturi Rangan
    V. Kasturi Rangan
    Baker Foundation Professor
    Malcolm P. McNair Professor of Marketing, Emeritus
    Contact
    Send an email
    → More Articles
    Find Related Articles
    • Crisis Management
    • Governing and Advisory Boards
    • Nonprofit Organizations

    Sign up for our weekly newsletter

    Interested in improving your business? Learn about fresh research and ideas from Harvard Business School faculty.
    ǁ
    Campus Map
    Harvard Business School Working Knowledge
    Baker Library | Bloomberg Center
    Soldiers Field
    Boston, MA 02163
    Email: Editor-in-Chief
    →Map & Directions
    →More Contact Information
    • Make a Gift
    • Site Map
    • Jobs
    • Harvard University
    • Trademarks
    • Policies
    • Accessibility
    • Digital Accessibility
    Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College