Managing Board Conflict
Lack of agreement, or worse still outright conflict, at board level is one of the biggest barriers to success that a company can face. It frequently leads to a muddled company direction, slow and ineffective decision making, confused staff and personal stress for the directors. The end result is usually a company that is significantly underperforming.
In our work with clients Azure have identified that board level conflict is rarely due to some directors being "difficult" but usually a problem that can be analysed, understood and then solved - or at least reduced to a level where both company and individuals can thrive.
Conflicts within boards often result from:
- Divergent personal circumstances, and therefore personal goals among directors and shareholders leading to different views about company goals.
- Different personal characteristics - a mix of highly creative, highly analytical and highly driven board members can drive a company forward. But if they have different value sets, motivators and behaviour characteristics conflict can occur unless some fundamental processes and communication mechanisms are in place. You need more than just good people on your board. They need to be able to work effectively together.
- Different understanding of and attitude to the risks and opportunities facing the business
- Sterility; boards that have worked together for a long time may suffer from entrenched views and a resistance to new ideas.
One or more of the above is likely to result in individual frustration, conflict and, over time, a dysfunctional working relationship. It happens to a number of companies.
Azure Partners have developed a process and set of tools to help company boards identify the obstacles to success at board level - both personal and business - and a set of techniques to address them.
From more details contact Paul Chapman on 0207 100 1233 or Paul.Chapman@azurepartners.co.uk