What is a primary responsibility included in governance?

Providing strategic direction is a fundamental responsibility of governance within an organization. Governance focuses on establishing a framework of policies, procedures, and guidelines that ensure an organization operates effectively and ethically. A key aspect of this is setting the long-term vision and objectives, which guide decision-making and resource allocation across all levels of the organization.

Strategic direction encompasses identifying goals, defining the mission, and ensuring alignment with the organization’s overall vision. This process is critical because it not only influences the organization's priorities but also ensures that all departments work cohesively towards shared objectives. By focusing on providing a clear strategic direction, governance helps to maintain accountability and creates a foundation for evaluating performance against set goals.

While ensuring proper employee training, creating new product lines, and increasing sales revenue are all important activities within various departments, they are not primary responsibilities of governance itself. Rather, they are components of operational execution that align with the strategic vision set by the governance framework. Without a solid strategic direction from governance, these activities may lack coherence and fail to support the overarching goals of the organization.