This case study examines the distributed leadership model of Northern Broadsides, under the leadership of Chair of the Board, Debbie Richards.
Northern Broadsides is a theatre company based in Halifax, renowned for its bold, accessible productions. The company is committed to making theatre that is both innovative and inclusive, with a strong touring presence across the UK.
Debbie Richards is Chair of the Board and has a rich background in theatre and arts marketing. She has been involved in governance since her early 20s, when she joined the board of the Arts Marketing Association (AMA). She later co-founded Baker Richards, a business strategy consultancy. In 2020, she oversaw Baker Richards’ transition to employee ownership and joined Northern Broadsides in 2021. Debbie is also a Trustee of Oxford Playhouse.
In our conversation we discussed the strengths of Northern Broadsides’ distributed leadership model and its ability to both engage trustees and drive the organisation forward. Debbie also offered some thoughts on the challenges charity governance faces and how governance can be improved across the sector.
Distributed Leadership
Underpinning Northern Broadsides’ governance model is the concept of distributed leadership. Distributed leadership is a model of governance which emphasises distributing tasks and responsibilities across all trustees to ensure they are actively engaged in leading and driving the organisation forward. It keeps ultimate responsibility with the chair, but seeks to spread work across the board, capitalising on the strengths of individuals and reducing the overall workload of the chair.
As Debbie mentioned to us, trustees can often feel under-utilised or that their role is reduced to rubber stamping and compliance, leaving little room for them to offer their valuable skills and experience. The distributed leadership model seeks to negate these issues and ensure that all trustees are actively engaged and utilised for the good of the organisation.
The requirements of this governance model are something trustees must understand and the Trustee Role Description and board pack at Northern Broadsides make it clear that new trustees will be expected to contribute their time and skills in meaningful ways.
A key requirement is that, as well as joining the board, trustees must join at least one sub-committee or ‘Squad’ to drive progress in a particular area. Whilst sub-committees are comprised of a mix of trustees and staff and cover EDI and Finance, Risk and Audit (FRA), the ‘Squads’ are formed from a wider mix of people connected to the organisation and cover environmental impact (Eco Squad) and artistic strategy (Art Squad). Squads meet roughly four times per year, report to the trustees and are an effective way of both ensuring trustee involvement but also the involvement of a wider group of stakeholders. Indeed, the website advises that, for those who lack the time or appetite for trusteeship, the Squads offer a more informal and less involved way of contributing to the development of the organisation. Both the Squads and sub-committees report back to the board and trustees are expected to take a lead in whichever area they sit.
To cement the roles of trustees in line with their skills and experience, each trustee is given a title in the organisation’s Trustee Role and Code of Conduct document. These include Community Champion, Ambition and Quality Champion, and Digital Champion and correspond with the skills of the trustee and the sub-committee or Squad on which they sit.
Alongside these duties, the role description stipulates that trustees can be asked to resign if they miss two consecutive meetings without good reason and that they will have an annual 1:1 with the chair to ensure they are satisfied and feel able to contribute to the organisation in a meaningful way. This comes alongside an annual skills and perspectives review to ensure the board is operating as effectively as possible. Recruitment is conducted based on the review. These responsibilities and stipulations make it clear that trustees are expected to be involved and committed throughout their time with Northern Broadsides.
“The model fosters innovation and ambition, with multiple people driving the organisation forward”
Debbie Richards, Chair of the Board
The distributed leadership model also impacts how the senior members of the board operate. On assuming the role of interim Chair, Debbie initially hesitated about taking the position permanently due to her other commitments and the fact that Chairs are typically heavily involved in the organisation and shoulder large and expansive workloads.
A two Vice Chairs model offered a solution to this problem, distributing leadership across three individuals, whilst keeping ultimate responsibility with the Chair. This approach allowed for shared decision-making, knowledge distribution, and a more manageable workload.
By appointing Vice Chairs with specific expertise – the current Vice Chairs come from artistic and HR backgrounds respectively – the model also encourages innovation. The structure provides flexibility and a range of skills at the most senior level, ensuring issues can be tackled by those with the necessary skills and experience.
Whilst it is essential that there is understanding and acknowledgement that the Chair retains ultimate responsibility, a key benefit of this model is the way it reduces reliance on a single leader, allowing the organisation to operate more efficiently and making the role of Chair a less daunting one for prospective candidates. It also, by engaging all trustees and giving them ownership of governance areas, best utilises the skills of the board and gives trustees valuable experience of leading certain areas, something which would benefit them should they wish to take more senior roles.
Ensuring Good Governance at Northern Broadsides
Alongside the distributed leadership model, Northern Broadsides takes several other steps to maintain strong governance:
- Board-executive relationship: The joint CEO structure at the executive level mirrors the board’s collaborative governance model. Trustees maintain strong relationships with the executive team through regular check-ins and work on sub-committees, giving them a good understanding of how the organisation is operating. Trustees have commented on the strength of board-executive relationships and the benefits of this in terms of fostering a sense of collaboration.
- Values-driven recruitment: Northern Broadsides prioritises recruiting trustees who align with the organisation’s values, fostering a strong organisational culture. Skills, experience and perspectives gaps are identified through the annual trustee skills and perspectives review and, during recruitment, emphasis is placed on ensuring candidates can demonstrate both the necessary skills/experience and adherence to the vision, mission and values of the organisation.
Lessons for the Sector
After discussing the governance model, we spoke to Debbie about the challenges that are facing the sector and what organisations can do to combat these and be successful.
What challenges do you think chairs are facing today?
“A key challenge is around capacity and the breadth of skills required to do the role. Typically, the role of the chair can be a wide-reaching and particularly onerous one, seeing chairs expected to be closely involved in a wide array of operational areas and with a consistent in-person presence around the organisation. This requires both large amounts of time and a rich and varied skillset, two things it can be hard to come by.”
How can distributed leadership techniques help trustees develop their practice?
“Distributed leadership can benefit both the chair and the trustees. In the case of Northern Broadsides, having two vice-chairs has allowed me to take the role of chair, knowing I have support and creating more leadership capacity than is possible in one individual.
The model of distributed leadership also drives the organisation forward as a whole, with all trustees committed to taking responsibility for areas and driving the organisation forward. This helps bring the board together, foster a culture of shared responsibility and also keeps trustees engaged, knowing their skills are valued and utilised.”
What advice would you give to others considering taking on chair roles and what skills and qualities do arts organisations most value right now?
“I think a key piece of advice is to understand that you can make governance work for you and the organisation. Models like distributed leadership are an example of this, ensuring that people can engage and support in a way that suits and benefits them.
Whilst it is essential you understand that, as chair, the buck stops with you, this doesn’t mean you have to be directly involved in all areas of governance. Overseeing the work of trustees and allowing their skills to come to the fore is an essential part of being a good chair.”
How would you like to see governance change in the arts sector, what support or training could help?
“I think the key challenges to address are around effective recruitment and upskilling. We need to improve the ways we support and encourage trustees to get involved in organisations and develop their skills and responsibilities once they join. I am passionate about seeing more young and first-time trustees enter the sector over the coming years.
An investment in and recognition of the value of training will be key here, but we also need to be realistic about the time available to trustees to engage with this. Training will need to be tailored and could stem from processes such as skills audits to ensure it benefits both the individual and organisation.
I think the biggest positive change would be a more widespread adoption of distributed leadership models, which would support individuals into more senior roles by giving them real responsibility and input from the moment they become a trustee. The ‘Champions’ roles that have been prompted by Arts Council England’s Investment Principles are a good starting point in this regard, but more can be done to ensure this style of governance is embodied by every trustee.
To achieve this, time will need to be invested into supporting organisations understand and implement this model of governance. It will also be essential for organisations to understand that governance needs to work for them and they can tailor governance styles and systems to suit their needs.”
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