Efficiency in the boardroom is essential to maximizing board performance. It requires an organized and clear meeting structure, constant communication, and thorough preparation. It is based on a portal that gives directors to access their meeting materials, and discuss them online with colleagues in real-time. Achieving these goals is a major challenge, especially for boards that are tight on time due to short director terms as well as continuous recruitment.
In an OnBoard webinar corporate advisors Max Franchitto and Tamara Barr provided key strategies to ensure an optimum level of efficiency in the boardroom. They discussed how to improve engagement and develop a diverse perspective and set of skills. They also outlined ways to improve the efficiency of the process of the board and enhance individual director performance.
Some boardroom dynamics are toxic to the capacity of a board to practice the principles of generative government. For example, an excessive desire to find consensus and the lack of attention to critical thinking can lead to groups of thought and ineffective conversations that hinder the effectiveness of decision-making. The tendency to dismiss an idea without fully understanding its roots can also lead to mistrust and undermine the effectiveness of the board.
To avoid these issues, boards should be in constant communication with all directors and provide them with an opportunity to share their views and opinions. Boards can accomplish this by encouraging constructive and informal director communication between meetings, by providing opportunities for directors outside the boardroom to discuss common interest, and by adding “hang time” on agendas for meetings to allow new members to get to know each other.
