Board Performance:
Now and in the Future

In light of the increased pressure on chairs to ensure engagement and contribution​ of board directors, we asked survey participants about the best way to measure board effectiveness and the individual contributions of directors. A variety of review forms and tools were suggested, including​ individual feedback sessions with the chair, 360 reviews, peer reviews, surveys (directly following each meeting), self-assessments and third-party assessments. It was suggested that these reviews should not only focus on individual contributions but on director development. While board directors are facing more demanding tasks and challenges, their collective and individual development appears to be strongly underinvested​ in. This is a missed opportunity for boards to fully capitalize on their potential to have impact and contribute to a broader change agenda.

This finding is in line with findings from our recent Board of the Future study,​ which shows that continuous development of directors is a matter of survival in today’s world and that a key element for development is frequent evaluations for the full board and individual directors.

We believe that boards globally could benefit from more reflection on the following questions: Whom​ do we have on the board and whom do we need? What​ is the role of the board? How​ should the board operate?