A challenging issue for many institutions is to use the expertise of members (particularly independent ones) appropriately. This can be difficult, with the limits on the availability of members' time a frequent constraint. This is often not just a case of ensuring that a member undertakes a relevant function or serves on a suitable committee, but may go much deeper to the form of engagement that members have with the whole board. For example, a frequent comment from independent members is that many governing body meetings are largely formalised affairs often with little opportunity to discuss the 'big issues' facing the institution, and therefore that their experience may be largely wasted.
Using the expertise of members is probably one of the factors that distinguishes highly effective boards from others, and cannot be achieved overnight. A culture of openness needs to be established within a board, encouraged by skilled and sympathetic leadership by the chair. In this way, a board moves towards being more of a team, rather than a collection of individuals who just come together for an occasional meeting.
See also Time and Commitment