It takes a lot of nerve for a board member to challenge a staff recommendation in a board meeting. New board members are often quiet, waiting until they know more before speaking up. A subtle cause of this avoidance of conflict is the emphasis on a smooth working partnership. Boards often view tension as a symptom of an illness which everyone must work to avoid catching. Conflicts should be smoothed over.
Staff frequently see board members with serious questions as obstacles at best, enemies at worst.
As a result, some boards neglect this responsibility all together and act as a rubber-stamp for the director. Just as often, boards will allow one or two members to be the chronic complainers without allowing them any real influence. The wider nonprofit community has colluded with this avoidance through the scant attention given to the governance role in books, academic papers and other management literature. A small industry has grown up around board training and consulting. While consultants and trainers have done a great deal to help boards raise more money, they have done little to help boards be more effective as governors.