Identity, Power and Influence in the Boardroom:
Actionable Strategies for Developing High Impact Directors and Boards
Deciding on the strategic direction of a corporation is complex and increasingly so in the volatility, uncertainty, and ambiguity that characterises the strategic options facing a company today. Faced with this complexity, the model of governance, which has largely remained unchanged for many decades, raises several important questions. In particular the agency paradigm and its assumptions, has de-emphasised the human side of governance. Drawing from theories in the field of social psychology, the author uniquely examines the human side of corporate governance recognising the role that identities, interests and interactions between board directors plays.
"A penetrating and confronting attempt to lift the veil into boardrooms, this work cuts to the chase as to what really drives the nominations processes, how directors develop and hold their sources of power, and why directors seek these roles in the first place. It gives essential guidance to Chairs, Directors and investors alike in Board construction and management."
— Patricia Cross, Non-Executive Director, Aviva Plc
"Having recently made the transition from executive leadership to non-executive oversight, I found the book enormously helpful. It provides well researched insight into behaviour around the board table that will be of value to any director who wishes to comprehend the board environment and contribute more effectively. Not least because the book encourages reflection upon one’s own style and influence."
— James Darkins, Non-Executive Director, The Crown Estate
"A very timely book that any board member can benefit from reading. The human factor is not talked about enough and often its effect on board effectiveness and decision making processes is under-estimated. No amount of good corporate governance can make a board effective if the individuals around the table are not functioning well individually and/or together. This book provides insightful guidance on developing a superior board culture."
— Charlotte Valeur, Chair, Institute of Company Directors
There are two ways to order THE book…
Effectiveness, Development & Renewal
The work that BoardQ undertakes with boards on effectiveness, development and renewal is a comprehensive, iterative and staged process, allowing also for each stage to be independently undertaken depending on identified need. The bespoke approach is cognisant of the life cycle of the company and tailored to the specific needs of the board.
Stage 1: A grounding conversation about board aspiration
In this stage, a collectively determined board aspiration is developed using BoardQ methodology. The methodology assists directors to collectively pinpoint the aspirational gap between where the board is perceived to be operating now and where it aspires to be operating, when at its best. The process that the board is taken through allows a shared view of board effectiveness to emerge. A report and facilitated conversation with the board group about the perceived aspirational gap generates a set of board shaped and owned priorities to achieve the agreed aspiration.
Stage 2: Evaluating effectiveness and prioritising director and board development
Work on effectiveness is tailored depending on the development life cycle the board is at, and is focused on identifying both the collective and individual development implications that arise from the aspirational gap identified using the stage 1 methodology.
Each director participates in a feedback process (delivered online) underpinned by a proprietary set of four drivers of board effectiveness developed through a combination of extensive practical experience and recent doctoral level research into the board dynamic in publicly listed companies.
One-on-one development debriefs with each director as well as the facilitation of a whole board debrief ensures that boards invest the necessary time in their own individual and collective development to meet the increasingly complex and rapidly evolving expectations placed on boards.
Stage 3: Planning Board Succession and Renewal
This stage will build on stages 1 and 2 to produce a skills and capability plan which will form the basis of succession for key board roles including succession into the chair and committee chair roles, and board renewal more generally. This third stage will consider the 3-5 year out strategic ambition for the company, identifying the ‘fit for future’ mix of skills and capabilities that the board will need in order to provide the strategic leadership required to deliver on this ambition.
There will be 2 outputs for this stage. First, a board agreed fit for future skills and capability plan in order to build the required board capacity and capability. Second, a succession planning framework to support the work of the board nominations committee in selecting and developing directors.
Coaching and on-boarding of new directors
Engaged by the Chair, we work with newly appointed directors or directors new to board work in order to facilitate a smooth transition. Meena Thuraisingham is currently on the AICD Preferred Provider Coaching Panel for coaching the director community.