1. The role of behaviours in board effectiveness
Ashley Harshak

2. Session overview Rules for session Chatham House rule Explain research
Discuss board dynamics
Get you to do some work!
Share how you might get involved
Chatham House rule
Anonymity of discussions
Consent to use what you share
Record your discussions (delete after transcribing)

3. What is action research?
[A]ction research is a participatory process concerned with developing practical knowledge in the pursuit of worthwhile human purposes. The SAGE Handbook of Action Research
(ed.s) Reason & Bradbury, 2008

4. What is the focus of the study?
Role of behaviours in board effectiveness
Directors feel affinity to each other and are motivated to be involved in the Board
Standards that encourage openness and acceptance of disagreement
Cohesiveness
Debate
Directors openly discuss and debate their perspectives and approaches to decision-making
Conflict
Resolution
Source: Corporate Governance & Board Effectiveness, A. Levrau & L.Van den Berghe

5. What behaviours?
Those that encourage relationships, decision making and learning
I connect
I enquire
I share
I decide
I enhance

6. How discussion groups will work?
You choose 1 out of the 4 discussion topics
- but there can’t be more than 7 people in the group
What makes for successful board discussions?
What do boards do to develop productive relationships between directors and with executive?
What do boards do to be supportive, challenging and manage ‘conflict’?
What behaviours do you see demonstrated that either help or hinder your board’s discussions?
You have minutes

7. 1. What makes for successful board discussions?
10 x A4 printouts
1. What makes for successful board discussions?
Everyone write a story about a board or team discussion you observed that went really well. Think what made for a successful discussion
Spend 5 minutes capturing a story
Everyone in turn share their story
Discuss what is common across your stories
Discuss and capture what differs

8. 10 x A5 cards
Write a story about a board or team discussion that went well. What made for a successful discussion?
Story:
What made this a successful discussion?
Name:

9. 2. What do boards do to develop productive relationships?
1 x A1 worksheet
2. What do boards do to develop productive relationships?
Relationships Between Board Members
Relationships Between Board & Executive
Opportunities to get to know each other
Opportunities to interact outside the board
Other

10. Ideas for what boards could do
1 x A1 worksheet
3. What do boards do to be supportive, challenging and manage ‘conflict’?
What boards do
Ideas for what boards could do
Be supportive
Work together as a team
Be challenging
Raise difficult questions and avoid group think
Manage conflict
Deal with tensions between people

11. 10 x A4 printouts
4. What behaviours do you see demonstrated that either help or hinder your board’s discussions?
Everyone take 4 post it notes
On 2 separate post it notes capture 2 behaviours you have seen help your board
On 2 separate post it notes capture 2 behaviours you have seen hinder your board
Put your post it notes on the worksheet in the right column
Discuss and group the behaviours you see that seem to help boards
Discuss and group the behaviours you see that seem to hinder boards
What are your observations?

12. 4. What behaviours help or hinder board’s discussions?
1 x A0 worksheet
4. What behaviours help or hinder board’s discussions?
Behaviours that help
Behaviours that hinder
2 packs of rectangular post its

13. What’s next? Capture and frame the outputs of discussions today
Set up and run board chair action inquiry group next year . . .
. . . Maybe followed by a Society Secretaries group
Capture learnings over 6-8 months
Share and discuss results with Governance Panel
Share learnings at a future Practitioners Forum