What Is Executive Onboarding, and How Can It Benefit Nonprofits?

Given my background and specialty consulting with both organizations and executives, I am often asked about executive onboarding. The question is understandable. Often, it depends on what the client needs.

In my work with The Moran Company, I find that nonprofits in particular can benefit from executive onboarding. The main goal is to align expectations between the incoming Executive Director/CEO and the Board of Directors. This step can ensure a smoother leadership transition for the many stakeholders served.

So What Is “On-Boarding?”

In the book Organizational Socialization: The effective onboarding of new employees written by Dr. Tayla N. Bauer and Berrin Erdogan, it is stated that, “Onboarding; also known as organizational socialization, is management jargon first created in the 1970s that refers to the mechanism through which new employees acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors in order to become effective organizational members and insiders.”¹ In the United States, for example, up to 25% of workers are organizational newcomers engaged in an onboarding process.²

Tactics used in this process include formal meetings, lectures, videos, printed materials, or computer-based orientations that outline the operations and culture of the organization that the employee is entering into. This process is known in other parts of the world as an ‘induction’ or ‘training’.

Studies have documented that socialization techniques such as onboarding lead to positive outcomes for new employees. These include higher job satisfaction, better job performance, greater organizational commitment, and reduction in occupational stress and intent to quit.^3,4,5

BoardSource, formerly the National Center for Nonprofit Boards, is a national nonprofit membership organization whose mission is “to inspire and support excellence in nonprofit governance and board and staff leadership.” They say, “The selection of the new chief executive is often viewed as a transformative act that will result in a multiyear term of office, but without a clear understanding on both sides of expectations, the partnership will not be able to flourish… Many nonprofit boards and chief executives mistakenly assume that existing documents such as the mission statement, the chief executive’s job description, the chief executive profile, or the strategic plan adequately define collective expectations.”

According to Board Source’s “What Does Success Look Like for Onboarding?”, the development of a written statement for ‘mutual expectations’ is a must.

Characteristics of an Effective Written Statement of Mutual Expectations for Onboarding:

• Developed because both the board and the chief executive believe it adds value.
• Reflects agreement by the chief executive and the board collectively on the organizational issues that will most demand the chief executive’s time and attention.
• Specific on issues and actions and realistic in its time frame.
• Carefully defines ambiguous leadership and management language such as a “vision” or “expanding markets” to ensure that the board and chief executive interpret such terms in the same way.
• Deployed as a means of enhancing communication between the board and chief executive.
• While either the chief executive or a board officer might prepare the initial draft, the final statement should be reviewed and approved by the board and the chief executive.
• Regularly reviewed along with other relevant documents at the time of the chief executive’s performance assessment, the board self-assessment, and related occasions, and updated as necessary.

There are many additional leadership development disciplines and offerings that are available to help organizations, businesses and leaders develop and grow. They can include general/targeted coaching, mentoring, counseling, transition coaching, succession coaching, team development, board development, organizational development and more. All of these methodologies and others have national and globally recognized certifications that assure continued development in best practices that are evidenced based.

At The Moran Company, we can offer onboarding services following your nonprofit executive search in order to ensure a smooth leadership transition. This additional consultation takes place throughout the course of 90 days after the new hire starts employment. Together, we align expectations between the Board of Directors and the new Executive Director/CEO in order to establish clear short-term and long-term goals – and improve your overall success and retention. Contact us to learn more about how we can help.

by E. Frank Ellis, M.P.H.
Senior Search Advisor-Onboarding Specialist
The Moran Company
“We Find Great Nonprofit Executives”

© 2021  The Moran Company

Additional References and Resources:

1. Bauer, T. N., & Erdogan., B. (2011). Organizational socialization:s The effective onboarding of new employees. In S. Zedeck (Ed.), APA handbook of industrial and organizational psychology, Vol 3: Maintaining, expanding, and contracting the organization, APA Handbooks in Psychology (pp. 51–64). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association.
2. Rollag, K., Parise, S., & Cross, R. (2005). Getting new hires up to speed quickly. MIT Sloan Management Review, 46, 35–41.
3. Ashford, S. J., & Black, J. S. (1996). Proactivity during organizational entry: The role of desire for control. Journal of Applied Psychology, 81, 199–214.
4. Kammeyer-Mueller, J. D., & Wanberg, C. R. (2003). Unwrapping the organizational entry process: Disentangling multiple antecedents and their pathways to adjustment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 779–794.
5. Fisher, C. D. (1985). Social support and adjustment to work: A longitudinal study. Journal of Management, 11, 39–53.
6. Wikipedia entry on Onboarding.
7. Bradt, George; Mary Vonnegut (2009). Onboarding: How To Get Your New Employees Up To Speed In Half The Time. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-48581-1.
8. Watkins, Michael (2003). The First 90 Days. Harvard Business School Publishing. ISBN 1-59139-110-5.
9. “That tricky first 100 days”. The Economist. July 15, 2006.
10. Stein, Christiansen (2010). Successful Onboarding: Strategies to Unlock Hidden Value Within Your Organization. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-173937-5.
11. Masters, Brooke (March 30, 2009). “Rise of a Headhunter”. Financial Times.
12. Bradt, George (2009) [2006]. The New Leader’s 100-Day Action Plan (revised ed.). J. Wiley and Sons. ISBN 0-470-40703-4.
13. Watkins, Michael (2009). Your Next Move. Harvard Business School Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4221-4763-4.
14. Ashforth, B. K., & Saks, A. M. (1996). Socialization tactics: Longitudinal effects on newcomer adjustment. Academy of Management Journal, 39(1), 149–178