Breaking finance and business news, tax information, jobs and more for finance directors and senior finance professionals.

New research from Cranfield School of Management scrutinising the effectiveness of boards in the UK invited all board members from the UK FTSE 350 companies to participate in a comprehensive survey examining the role, contribution and performance of chairmen and other key members of the board.

Chairmen adopting a corporate strategic role 

The report does not question the quality, integrity and skills of UK chairmen, but the results do raise questions of their contribution to board performance.

This suggests that some UK chairmen may be edging too far towards either adopting a corporate strategic role, aligning themselves with, and even superseding the CEO, rather than focusing on their key board leadership responsibilities.

There is some evidence on complacency on the part of chairmen, who see their own contribution more favourably than the rest of the board.

The research highlights a need for chairmen to proactively clarify and seek greater accountability for their own contributions and to take a more active role in leading the board to promote both coherence and performance.

Distinct need for improvement 

Professor Kakabadse, Professor of International Management Development at Cranfield, said that chairmen and board director development and succession were absolutely vital issues to address.

“How boards know how they are doing a good job also requires serious consideration.  Overall, UK boards are pretty good but there is distinct need for improvement,” he added.

The findings have implications for understanding decision-making processes and identifying best practices at board level.

The author’s advise these findings should be considered by all UK boards which aspire to world class performance.

Related articles

• Ten To-Do’s for Audit Committees in 2008
• CEOs younger and more international
• Boards careless about IT governance
• Time to tackle booze in the boardroom
• Directors getting younger in the automotive industry
• Boards fail to measure their own effectiveness
• Women storm FTSE 100 executive committees

Related links 

• Cranfield School of Management