Effective Governance Board Competency Framework

The attributes and competencies enabling

individual Board Members to use their
Behavioural knowledge and skills to function well as team
Members and to interact with key
stakeholders

Governance
The essential governance knowledge and
understanding all Board Members should
possess or develop if they are to be effective
Board Member. Includes some specific
Technical technical competencies as applied at Board
level

Technical/professional skills and

specialist knowledge to assist with
ongoing aspects of the Board’s role
Industry

Experience in and knowledge of the industry

in which the organisation operates

Source: GC Kiel et al., 2012, Directors at work: a practical guide

for boards, Sydney: Thomson Reuters.
 What a skills assessment looks like - internal

Current Competency Future

Self-Assessment
Requirement

Current Met / Not

Rounded Rounded

Director D
Director A

Director B

Director C

Director E

Director F
Section Competency Maximum Number
Mean: Mean: Met
Current at Future
Skill Level Directors
GAPS Skill Level Needs
Skill Level
Required Required

1.1 Accounting 3 2 3 3 2 2 3 0 4 2 Not Met

1.2 Finance 2 2 2 3 2 2 3 0 4 2 Not Met
Technical Skills and Experience

1.3 Industry experience 1 4 3 3 4 2 4 4 5 2 Not Met

1.4 Law 5 1 2 2 2 2 5 1 4 1 Met
1.5 Strategic marketing 2 2 2 2 4 3 4 2 3 2 Met
1.6 Strategy development and
2 3 2 2 4 3 4 1 4 2 Not Met
implementation
1.7 Risk management 2 3 2 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 Met
1.8 HRM 2 2 2 3 2 2 3 1 3 2 Not Met
1.9 Information technology 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 1 Not Met
1.10 Contemporary corporate
4 3 2 3 4 3 4 2 4 3 Not Met
governance

Key

What Educate Individual meets or exceeds requirements

value? Requirement not met

Requirement met

2
What a skills assessment looks like - external

Self-Assessment

Director D
Director B
Director A

Director E
Director C

Director F
Section Competency

Accounting
Finance
Technical Skills and Experience

Industry experience

Law 
Strategic marketing  
Strategy development and implementation 
Risk management  
HRM 
Information technology

Contemporary corporate governance