The discussion of how to professionalize boards of corporations, foundations and non-profits is ongoing, and in this section we’ll collect links to material we recommend to help you to stay up-to-date with the latest thinking. Some of these sources require subscriptions.
- Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance
- A Continued Call for Boardroom Diversity by John Galloway, global head of investment stewardship at Vanguard, Inc. Article from Dec. 2020 on Vanguard’s very clear expectations for board diversity as well as their helpful list of considerations for boards looking to make progress.
- McKinsey
- The CEO Guide to Boards An excellent guide from 2016, including a great infographic showing the four essentials for building a stronger board of directors
- Harvard Business Review (HBR)
- What Makes Great Boards Great by Jeffrey A. Sonnenfeld. “The most involved, diligent, value-adding boards may or may not follow every recommendation in the good-governance handbook. What distinguishes exemplary boards is that they are robust, effective social systems”.
- Building Better Boards by David A. Nadler. “The key to better corporate governance lies in the working relationships between boards and managers, in the social dynamics of board interaction, and in the competence, integrity, and constructive involvement of individual directors”.
- The Board’s New Innovation Imperative by Linda A. Hill and George Davis. Why boards struggle with innovation, and how to (re)build the board for innovation.
- Managing Risks: A New Framework by Robert S. Kaplan and Anette Mikes. This article looks at the individual and organizational challenges related to encouraging open, constructive discussions about managing the risks related to strategic choices, and concludes with ideas on how organizations can identify and prepare for nonpreventable risks that inevitably arise.
- Back Channels in the Boardroom by Heidi K. Gardner and Randall S. Peterson. Ideas for how to manage inevitable side conversations, including actions that prepare boards for constructive off-line conversations, ways to protect or build trust during them, and what to do after they’ve occurred.
- Dysfunction in the Board Room by Boris Groysberg and Deborah Bell. Understanding the persistent gender gap at the highest levels.
- The Culture Factor. An HBR package of five pieces providing an essential guide to determining your organization’s current culture and shaping it to fit your strategy.
- Leadership Advisor Group
- Links to Leadership Advisor Group’s own research
- Boards should value the chance to improve corporate governance
- How to involve your board at the right level in company strategy
- Why and how to evaluate board performance and build better boards
- Self-assessment versus external board evaluation
- Don’t forget to evaluate the board chair!
- What is a Board Charter and why is it important?
- Board committees should have updated charters
- Tips for first time board members
- Why should your company publish details about your board of directors?
- Did you know your Board is responsible for having a backup plan for the CEO?
- Questions the Board should ask the CHRO
- The board is responsible for diversity at the company
- OnlineBoardEvaluations
- Børsen.dk (articles in Danish, generally only for subscribers):
- Formænd svigter deres ansvar for at skabe mere ligestilling i direktionerne (Mar. 11, 2021)
- Diversiteten mangler blandt landets mest magtfulde bestyrelsesformænd: Én udlænding – og ingen kvinder (Jan. 21, 2021)
- Tre headhuntere jagter topchefer til bestyrelserne: Se her, hvad de leder efter (Jan. 21, 2021)
- Slut med at skjule sig bag figenblade i bestyrelserne (Dec. 3, 2020)
- Mangfoldiheden vokser i elite selskabernes bestyrelser (Aug. 28, 2020)
- Kun hver femte C25-bestyrelse overholder anbefalinger (June 5, 2020)
- Jyllands-Posten.dk (articles in Danish, generally only for subscribers):
- Magtfuld komité med nye krav om løntransparens og bæredygtighed (Dec. 15, 2020)
- Realtid.se (Swedish financial intelligence)
- Ägarna behöver bli bättre på att välja styrelse (Aug. 13, 2019)
- Ekonomifakta.se (statistics on the Swedish economy)
- Kvinnor i styrelser – internationellt (Mar. 8, 2021)
We update this list continuously.
