Is Poor Governance Leading to Mediocrity in Strategy Execution?

Governance and Program Management: The Crucial Connection

Recent, high-profile failures in corporate governance reveal a troubling complacency among senior management—one that often verges on blatant disregard for its critical role.

The Post Office Horizon scandal and the Home Offices’ botched attempt to replace Airwave’s Emergency Services Network (ESN) are stark reminders of the devastating consequences when corporate and program governance fail on multiple levels. These failures have left a trail of destruction, underscoring the urgent need for accountability and reform at the top.

Beyond the headlines, poor governance is widespread in both public and private sectors. Without strong corporate oversight, critical programs often stall, with 90%* facing delays and huge overspends.

This is largely due to poor program management, driven by leadership’s deep-seated aversion to engaging with statistics, probabilities, and other data that would force them to take deeply uncomfortable action to prevent costly blunders. In short, governance is often seen as an inconvenient pain in the rear end to work around.

Why is this the case?

Our experience points to two key factors driving governance failures:

Key Factors Driving Governance Failures

1. A Dangerous Delusion

Many business leaders and their organisations are trapped in a contagious, consensual delusion: they believe they have strong governance in place to successfully execute business-critical programs. In truth, the importance of robust governance is downplayed, often seen as a mere obstacle to be sidestepped.

This delusion is worsened by their unwillingness to engage with data—percentages and probabilities that suggest these risks will hit others, but somehow magically spare them… “this could never happen to us.”  

2. “Light-touch” Complacency that Breeds Mediocrity

The much-praised “light touch” governance was intended to reduce bureaucracy, streamline decisions, and increase flexibility. Yet, in practice, it has simply legitimised complacency.

Business leaders have cut corners on the oversight, rigour, and attention to detail essential for spotting and managing risks. Their lack of enthusiasm for confronting uncomfortable data or accept that risks might land at their doorstep has allowed mediocrity to flourish.

Unchecked, this complacency becomes the norm, breeding a culture of mediocrity. Dan Kennedy hit the nail on the head when he said: “What you tolerate, you get more of.” 

Governance Needs to be More than Just “For Show”

So, what’s the solution? Traditional methodologies like PRINCE2 and MSP offer structured processes but are woefully incapable of compensating for poor governance.

To avoid this, governance needs to be more than just for show. Yet, despite “light touch” program governance falling into disrepute, it is still the norm.

The bottom line: You need to be certain your team is aligned, organised, and working together effectively. Confidence is valuable, but concrete proof is even better.

Introducing a Better Approach: The Independent Program Review (IPR)

Traditional oversight often falls short, leaving organisations with vague reassurances rather than solid evidence of effective governance. It’s like asking, “How’s everything going?” and getting a thumbs-up, oblivious to the mess hidden behind the scenes.

The Independent Program Review offers a more objective and proactive approach to strengthening governance, identifying risks, and underpinning successful program governance and execution.

By bringing in experts to assess the fitness for the purpose of your business-critical program, the IPR helps tighten up weak governance and identify and mitigate risks before they escalate into costly, lengthy delays.

Seth Godin summarised this perfectly:

Running into a burning building is heroic work. Keeping buildings from burning down in the first place is actually just as important. And it scales more reliably.

The IPR: An Innovative Solution

Here’s what you’ll get with a Mentor Independent Program Review:

Objective Oversight

Unlike internal reviews that may be influenced by existing biases, an IPR offers a fresh, impartial perspective. This objectivity is crucial for identifying and mitigating risks and challenges that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Proactive Risk Management

By running an Independent Program Review early in the program, we can identify potential issues before they turn into bigger problems. Our hands-on approach allows us to tighten up governance, adjust strategies, set realistic expectations, and keep the program on the right path.

Tailored Recommendations

The IPR doesn’t just highlight issues; it provides actionable recommendations tailored to your organisation, partners and your specific program. These insights ensure proper governance structures are in place and empower your team to make informed decisions that drive success.

A Fast, Easy, Action-oriented Process

Independent Program Reviews can be run at any time during the lifecycle of a business-critical program.

The process is fast, easy, and accurate in its diagnosis and prognosis. It uses a blend of AI technology and our own practitioner experience to provide an accurate and valuable analysis of the program’s status.

In under two weeks, you will gain a clear understanding of the remedial actions, required skills, and realistic timelines to increase your confidence in achieving your program’s goals.

You will better understand your organisation’s management biases and blind spots – and recognise areas that require strengthening to boost your team’s performance.

One week later, we will give you a management presentation and analysis of your program and deliver a strong improvement plan.

Working Closely With Your Team

We know that involving outside experts can feel intimidating. However, our experienced practitioners will work closely with your team to make sure the review process is helpful, easy, and adds real value.

With this insight, you can identify and address problems early, rather than waiting anxiously for six months or more for issues to eventually appear.

Also explore our insights on the evolution of the program delivery team.

Why Settle For Mediocrity When Excellence Is Within Reach?

Download our latest Insight Guide, “Battle-tested: Executing Business-Critical Strategy with Unshakeable Confidence and Certainty,” explores how the IPR can transform your governance practices.

Or, for a deeper discussion on catapulting your programs to better results, feel free to reach out to me.

*Bent Flyvbjerg, 2021, “Top Ten Behavioral Biases In Project Management”

About the author

David Hilliard is Founder of Mentor, specialists in strategic program execution.