If you want a contingent workforce program that runs with clarity instead of chaos, governance is where everything begins. Last week, our team hosted an informative webinar, Governance: A Fresh Take for Contingent Workforce Leaders, focused on exactly that. During the session, Brad Martin, CRO at Atrium, Cindy Baker-Bailey, VP of Global Workforce Solutions at Atrium, and Chris Radvansky, Principal Consultant at RAD Consultants, discussed how to build contingent workforce program governance that truly works, grounded in real solutions and actionable strategies.
The conversation explored governance models, data in motion, stakeholder adoption, and the shift from insight to action. We’re excited to share their insights as a four-part series that breaks down each topic in detail. Today, we begin with Governance Models That Work.
Intentional Contingent Workforce Governance
Strong contingent workforce programs don’t happen by accident. They’re intentionally built over time, shaped by clear governance, shared accountability, and a common understanding of how decisions are made. As Brad Martin put it early in the webinar, “Strong governance is what separates high-performing programs from reactive, crisis-driven operations.” That distinction becomes especially visible as programs scale, expand globally, or face increased regulatory scrutiny.
Cindy Baker-Bailey emphasized that effective governance doesn’t start with org charts, policies, or approval workflows. It starts with why. Before defining roles or creating committees, leaders should agree on what governance is meant to enable. Without that shared purpose, even well-structured models can feel heavy or misaligned.
Four Pillars of Governance
At the core of that purpose are four durable pillars: cost, quality, efficiency, and risk. “Those pillars don’t change,” Cindy explained. “What does change is how different stakeholders prioritize them.” Procurement may be laser-focused on cost and ROI. HR and Talent Acquisition are typically measured on talent quality and outcomes. Legal prioritizes compliance and risk mitigation. Business leaders want speed and predictability. None of these perspectives are wrong, but without intentional alignment, they can pull programs in competing directions.
High-performing companies bring those perspectives together early through a clearly defined governance model. That model doesn’t need to be complex, but it does need to be explicit. Cindy shared how role mapping and RACI-style frameworks help teams clarify who owns decisions, who executes work, who provides oversight, and how escalation should occur when trade-offs or exceptions arise.
“Clarity eliminates overlap, gaps, and duplicate approvals,” she said. “And it drives buy in because people have a real stake in the outcome.” Stakeholders are far more engaged when they see their priorities reflected in the model and have a clear understanding of where their accountability begins and ends. In that environment, governance becomes a source of enablement rather than control.
Designed intentionally and aligned to an organization’s specific needs, governance functions as a practical operating system. It reduces friction, builds trust, and allows programs to scale with confidence without slowing the business down.
Want to go deeper?
Watch the full webinar recording to hear the complete panel discussion and download the Role-Mapping Template to start clarifying accountability in your own program.
And stay tuned for the next post in this series, where we explore how data moves across the contingent workforce and why governance is the foundation that makes it all work.
