Small Business Governance – What You Need To Know
Every business organisation needs to have good governance in place, but what exactly does it mean? Corporate governance is the system of rules, processes and policies put into place in order to monitor and control an organisation. Just like a good family has certain rules to establish responsibility, leadership and who does what, so a business has to have the same kind of thing. Only because a business has so many parts to it, the governance is rather more comprehensive than a family would need.
Even small businesses have to have some kind of governance in order to progress smoothly. People within the company from the janitor to the CEO have to know who is responsible for what and who is to make what decisions. It also encompasses certain rules and regulations set out by the government that businesses must adhere to, to be legal.
Input for a governance framework can come from an individual director, company counsel, outside commercial lawyers, a board of directors and officers in the company. It takes into account the kind of business it is and whether there are stakeholders or other shareholders who must be considered. It delineates duties and responsibilities appropriately and where delegation of duties is carried out ensures there is clear and proper understanding of what is to be done and by whom. Effective governance will ensure that the business runs smoothly and safely right from the start, as each person’s skill set will be used to carry out the work they are best suited for.
