Global Governance standards

Global governance, local impact

This month, the world’s been given its first ever global standard on great governance.

Thanks to the International Standards Board, we’ve got ISO 37000:2021. This is a big deal for directors, governance geeks (yep!) and those who run a board’s processes and paperwork. We’ve now got something to measure any board against, anywhere in the world.

What I like about it so far is that the standard is very down to earth.  It applies equally to owner-operators as it does to more privileged boardrooms.  I really liked this bit, which applies to so many SMEs across Aotearoa New Zealand:

“…an individual can be required to fulfil both governance and management responsibilities … it is important for that person to be able to distinguish when they are fulfilling the different responsibilities and act and behave accordingly.”

Exactly!  I spend a lot of time helping business owners to work out which hat they are wearing, and when – and training them how to act as a director more often.

A few more gems that Kiwi directors might find useful:

I could go on!  But for now, just know that standards are being set and that the world is working on better governance.  That’s great.