Stereotyping Gen X and Y Board Members: What to Do if You’ve Been Pinpointed as the Technology Expert on Board Due to Your Age

Andy Davis

At BoardSource, we often hear from our younger members that when boards decide to examine how they might utilize technology to assist them in their board work, they rely heavily upon their “next gen’ers” for input and expertise. But what happens if your board has come to you with a question about technology needs and you are as clueless as the rest of the lot?  Where do you go from there?

In many ways, technology is no different from any other operational expense your organization may have. The difference, of course, is that this expense may have a direct impact on how your board governs. This means that at least one board member should be involved with overseeing the implementation of new technology into the board’s work. If that person is you, great; if not, here are some ideas on how you can help your board get started.

First, it’s essential that the board complete an inventory of its needs and current position.  You can start this process by simply asking the right questions. Does your board understand what is legal under state and federal law concerning conducting meetings and voting if not in person?  Next, consider what your board actually needs, not just what’s available.  For instance, there’s probably no need to invest in expensive video-conferencing equipment when your board is local and attendance is not an issue. Trust me: a lot of money is spent on technology that goes to waste.

Next, find out if there are tools that can actually help cut costs without altering the way the board conducts its business. For instance, does your organization incur heavy costs while wasting materials producing large board books? Perhaps a simple, cheap board portal can be a better alternative.  Finally, examine how your board operates, and focus on options that will increase engagement. For example, maybe committee work can be enhanced with tools like Google docs, wikis, or online meeting spaces. Or, perhaps your board can improve its strategic planning input with tools to create more informative and creative dashboards.

As a governance consultant I hear stories all the time about an organization investing in some new tool that was supposed to enhance the board’s performance, but the tool just turned out to be a waste of money, or worse, actually decreased member engagement.  Like carrying a laptop to your finance class, you have an instrument that can help you become a more engaged student, or, if you’re like me, you have a tool to help you catch up on college basketball scores. The new technology tools available to boards are simply vessels.  As always with governance, it’s up to the leaders in the room—and that means you— to make the best of the available options and move the organization forward.