BOD adopting its own rules

[Guest Jim]

What is the rules of order regarding a Board of Directors adopting its own organizational rules? Can a Board create rules that impose on the general membership, or officers of the organization if the constitution and bylaws do not already have such impositions?

[Gary Novosielski]

What is the rules of order regarding a Board of Directors adopting its own organizational rules? Can a Board create rules that impose on the general membership, or officers of the organization if the constitution and bylaws do not already have such impositions?

In general, no, unless the bylaws grant them such rule-making (or bylaws-amending) powers--or they present their draft rules to the general membership for approval.

[Tim Wynn]

What is the rules of order regarding a Board of Directors adopting its own organizational rules?

The board has only the power given to it by the organization.

Can a Board create rules that impose on the general membership, or officers of the organization if the constitution and bylaws do not already have such impositions?

I don't know what you mean by "impositions." A board is usually empowered (to varying degrees) to act for the organization between meetings of the general membership.

However, no action of the board can conflict with any action taken by the assembly of the society, and the society's assembly can countermand any action of the board, if it is not too late. See RONR(10th ed.), p. 466.