Understanding Boards Of Directors

Directors: Improve Board Performance The Director's Manual: A Framework for Board Governance offers current and aspiring board members essential up-to-date governance guidance that blends rigorous research-based information with the wisdom found only through practical, direct experience. The book's flexible approach to solving governance issues reflects the authors' belief that no two boards and the cultural dynamics that drive them are the same. As such, the advice offered reflects recognizable leadership dynamics and real world, relevant organizational situations. The book's two authors, Peter C. Browning, an experienced CEO and member of numerous boards and William L. Sparks, a respected organizational researcher, combine their individual experiences and talents to create a book that is both innovative and applicable to directors in any industry sector. Specific best practice guidance is designed to help board members and their directors understand the unique strengths and challenges of their own board while at the same time provide targeted information that drives needed improvements in board performance and efficiency. Specifically, this book will help board members: Explore practical advice on key issues, including selection, meeting schedules, and director succession Consider board performance from multiple perspectives, including cultural and group dynamics Discover how to effectively manage classic problems that arise when making decisions as a group Access a comprehensive set of assessment questions to test and reinforce your knowledge The Director's Manual: A Framework for Board Governance offers practical advice to guide you as you lead your organization's board.

Understanding Boards of Directors examines why research on corporate governance has been slow and uneven, and where that research should turn next to be most valuable to practitioners. The author traces the history of research on corporate boards and analyzes the trends in that research, including the relative value of the types of data that researchers in this field have used, and ultimately identifying the best path forward in studying these complex social systems.

Explore the practical realities of corporate governance in public, private, and not-for-profit environments In the newly revised third edition of The Handbook of Board Governance: A Comprehensive Guide for Public, Private and Not for Profit Board Members, award-winning professor and lawyer Dr. Richard Leblanc delivers a comprehensive overview of all relevant topics in corporate governance. Each chapter is written by a subject matter expert working in academia or industry and illuminates a different area of board governance: value creation and the strategic role of the Board, risk governance and oversight, board composition and diversity, the role of the board chair, blind spots and trendspotting in the boardroom, audit committee efficacy, and more. This latest edition contains updated coverage of a wide variety of key topics, including: Governing, auditing, and working from home, as well as conducting virtual and hybrid meetings New and necessary skillsets for directors, including contemporary environmental, social, and governance considerations for firms Diversity, equity, and inclusion issues impacting boards and firms, as well as the risks posed by corruption, organized crime, and cyber-crime An essential resource for board members and directors of organizations of all kinds, The Handbook of Board Governance is also an important source of information for managers and executives seeking greater understanding of the role of the board in the day-to-day and long-term management of a modern firm.

Distinguished governance experts offer cures for what ails our boards of directors In light of corporate malfeasance in recent years, the governance of corporations has been receiving great attention from regulators, researchers, shareholders, and directors themselves. Based on Richard Leblanc's in-depth five-year study of 39 boards of directors of both for- and not-for-profit organizations, Building a Better Board goes behind the scenes to reveal the inner workings of boards of directors, including how they make decisions. Recently chosen as one of Canada's "Top 40 Under 40"(TM), Dr Richard Leblanc is an award-winning teacher and researcher, certified management consultant, professional speaker, professor, lawyer and specialist on boards of directors. He can be reached at [email protected]. James Gillies, PhD (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), is Professor Emeritus at the Schulich School of Business, York University, where he serves as Chair of the Canada-Russia Corporate Governance Program.

With increasing muscle-flexing of shareholders, especially large fund managers,boards of directors are being held accountable for a higher standard of professional behaviour. Making Boards Work focuses on the management of the governance process and outlines specific, practical, how-to steps and actions that can be implemented to make any board more effective. Making extensive use of Canadian case studies drawn from actual experiences, authors David Leighton and Donald Thain illustrate many challenges facing those involved in governance and offer practical solutions. Making Boards Work will help directors, shareholders, managers, advisers, regulators, and legislators alike to -- -better understand the challenges and potential rewards of professional governance -understand and manage the six key success factors for boards -evaluate a board's strengths and weaknesses -outline a new code of conduct for directors -foster and manage a climate of constructive dissent -establish guidelines for an effective chairman -understand why boards fail and how to turn around an underperforming board Authors David Leighton and Donald Thain's experience in corporate governance spans 31 corporate boards, 280 man-years of board service, and literally thousands of board and committee meetings. This wealth of experience translates into an invaluable guide to effective governance that will "ring true" to all those who have grappled with board situations.

Boards of directors are complex systems, and it is imperative to understand what the contextual forces are that shape the direction and make-up of boards. This Research Handbook provides inspiration for researchers and practitioners interested in the manifold dimensions and facets of context surrounding boards of directors.

A comprehensive guide to transforming boards and achieving best-practice governance in any organisation. When practising good governance, the board is the vital driver of organizational success, while fostering positive social impact and economic value creation. At all levels, executives around the world are faced with complexities rising from disruptive business models, new technologies, socio-economic changes, shifting political circumstances, and an array of other sources. High Performance Boards is the comprehensive manual for attaining best-in-class governance, offering pragmatic guidance on improving board quality, accountability, and performance. This authoritative volume identifies the four dimensions, or pillars, which are crucial for establishing and maintaining best-practice boards: the people involved, the information architecture, the structures and processes, and the group dynamics and culture of governance. This methodology can be applied to any board in the world, corporate or non-profit organization, regardless of size, sector, industry, or context. Readers are introduced to a fictitious senior board member – an amalgamation of board members from well-known organisations – and follow her as she successfully handles real-life challenges with effective governance. Drawn from the author's 20 years of practice and confidential work with boards across the world, this book: Demonstrates how high-performance boards innovate and refine their practices Discusses examples of board failures and challenges, including case studies from both for-profit and non-profit organisations including international organizations and state-owned agencies or even ministries Provides a proven framework to create best-in-class governance Includes a companion website featuring tools for board assessment and board practice High Performance Boards has inspired more than 3000 board members around the world. This book is essential reading for professionals and managers interested in governance and board members, senior managers, investors, lawyers, and students of governance.

This volume, the first to focus exclusively on women serving on corporate boards of directors, provides the latest thinking and research findings on this increasingly important corporate governance issue. It includes censuses of women directors in a number of countries, identifies reasons for their limited numbers, indicates why appointing qualified women to boards offers competitive advantages, and suggests practical ways corporations can attract, recruit and appoint more women board members. Researchers interested in gender and corporate governance issues, companies interested in increasing their numbers of women board members, and women and men serving or hoping to serve on corporate boards will find this book of interest.