The 14th edition of the Corporate Governance Workshop convened by the European Institute of Advanced Studies in Management (EIASM) was held in Brussels, Belgium this week. A summary of the key insights from the second day follows below (click here to read the day one summary).
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The 14th edition of the Corporate Governance Workshop convened by the European Institute of Advanced Studies in Management (EIASM) was held in Brussels, Belgium this week. A summary of the key insights from the first day follows below (click here to read the day two summary).
I've arrived in Brussels, having travelled directly from New Zealand via London Heathrow (thanks Air New Zealand) and the the Eurostar, to attend a two-day conference on corporate governance and board practice. The conference is run under the aegis of EIASM, the European Institute of Advanced Studies in Management, of which I'm a member. My name is on two of the papers to be presented (links are posted on the Research page). Approximately 50 delegates have gathered from around the world (24 countries?) for two days of discussions and presentations. Most of the delegates are leading academics in the fields of board and governance research, although there were a few (including me) who span the so-called academy–practice divide. This was my third attendance at this event. Previously, I went to the twelfth edition (Brussels) and the thirteenth edition (Milan), where my paper received the best paper award. The core theme of the fourteen edition is digitalisation and, specifically, the emergent impact of the so-called digital economy on boards and effective practice. A triumvirate of leading thinkers (Lee Howell, World Economic Forum; Tom Donaldson, Wharton Business School; and, Bob Garratt, Fidelio Partners UK) will lead a keynote session on the second morning. Other topics to feature on the programme include updates on board diversity research, shareholder relations, board responses to crises, strategic control and a direct challenge to the way board research is conducted. I'll post summaries of the key learnings. Stay tuned for end-of-day updates.
Plans and preparations for my next set of international commitments are coming together well. I'll be on the road for two-thirds of November to fulfil five speaking engagements; attend two conferences; lead a one-day learning workshop; fulfil two advisory commitments; and, attend a miscellany of meetings. The key dates are:
A common theme runs through these commitments: the pursuit of high board performance. The talks will explore several aspects of board practice including the board's role in strategy; emerging trends; the mechanism of corporate governance; and, the defining characteristics of an effective director and board. The learning workshop (entitled The effective director) is part of the Governance Institute of Australia's new capability development programme. The conferences are the European Institute of Advanced Studies in Management, in Brussels (I'm presenting a paper), and the Global Peter Drucker Forum, in Vienna. In case you are wondering, there are still a few gaps in the schedule in each location for additional meetings. Please contact me if you would like to arrange a meeting while I'm in your area. If you'd like to know more about any of contributions, please get in touch. (Note: As is my normal practice, conference summaries will be posted on this blog soon after each event, so do check back if you are interested).
I'm seated at Heathrow, homebound after a busy week attending the ICSA: The Governance Institute annual conference in London, and a bevy of other commitments. The following comments reflect on two busy days spent at the ICSA conference. The intention is not to provide comprehensive reportage, but rather to bring forward notable points (from my perspective anyway!). As always, please feel free to get in touch if you have a question or would like more information.
Overall, the conference provided a valuable forum for company directors, secretaries and others who support the work of boards to learn, compare notes and meet others in similar situations. Please contact me if would like more information.
This is a brief note to advise that I will be in London next week, to speak at the ICSA Annual Conference. The conference is being held at ExCeL, London, over two days (4–5 July). Programme details are available here. I'll be speaking on the first day of the conference, at 12noon. My topic is strategy, from the board's perspective. Here's the session summary from the programme: Good strategy vs bad strategy Sound interesting? Come along, I look forward to meeting you. Note: I'll be in London Monday 3rd to Thursday 6th inclusive, with some free time both during the conference, and immediately before and after. Please get in touch if you'd like to meet up (day or night) to ask a question; discuss an aspect of corporate governance or strategy; learn more about my research on boards and business performance; or, simply have a chat over a coffee or a drink. I'd be delighted to hear from you.
Sunday 5 March is less than two weeks away. For many it is just another day. However, it is significant for me because it signals the onset of an eight week stretch of advisory, speaking, board evaluation and confidential briefing commitments in several countries. Consequently, I will temporarily embrace a nomadic lifestyle: hotel rooms, flights and airline lounges will dominate my world. Here's the schedule as it stands today:
While the schedule will be demanding, the cause is compelling: to speak into literally hundreds of situations in which boards and directors have sought guidance to improve their practices and performance will be both a great honour. That they have reached out to me is deeply humbling. I shall do my best to make a difference.
Entrepreneurs—that group of individuals who put their resources and, often, their reputation on the line, in pursuit of a big dream—are interesting people. Some are brash and larger than life; others are quieter and more considered. Despite variations in style and personality, one common thread that binds entrepreneurs is the importance of leveraging (often limited) resources to best advantage to maximise the chance of seeing their dream realised. One important and oft-overlooked resource is the board of directors. Some of the questions I've heard entrepreneurs ask include:
I will be in Brisbane Australia on Tue 7 February 2017 to help entrepreneurs and directors of entrepreneurial businesses explore these questions. The Brisbane branch of Entrepreneurs' Organisation, a global network of more than 10,000 business owners in 42 countries, has invited me to deliver a talk and to host a workshop for members. The title of the two sessions are as follows:
If you would like to know more, follow the link, or get in touch with the team at EO Brisbane Events.
The 33rd Governance Institute of Australia national conference was held in Sydney recently. Previously, the Governance Institute (GIA) was known as Chartered Secretaries Australia, an outpost of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA). The name change, implemented several years ago, implies that the body is moving beyond serving the company secretary as its core constituency. I attended to observe; meet others; serve as a panelist (topic: The pursuit of productivity, see picture); debate topical challenges for boards; and, learn more about the practice of corporate governance, especially the GIA's role in encouraging boards in their value-creation mandate. As this was my first GIA conference, some post-conference reflections are appropriate:
In sum, the conference revealed some interesting insights (see summaries in other blog entries below) and attendance was well worthwhile. However, I couldn't help but wonder whether the organisers missed an opportunity—to engage the group that actually carries ultimate responsibility for company performance; company directors. If the GIA is to make further progress towards its stated purpose, it is vital that company directors are active participants in the discourse.
This is the third update of several to summarise observations from the 33rd Governance Institute of Australia National Conference being held in Sydney this week. Here are the links to the first and second updates. (The final update, covering the second day, will be published tomorrow.) This update includes observations from the late afternoon session. The session was dominated by a panel discussion on the topic of culture and why it matters. John Price and Judith Fox, both of whom had addressed the conference earlier were joined by Peter WIlson (Chairman of the Australian Human Resources Institute) to discuss this important topic. Fox and Price quickly established the strong correlation between positive organisational culture and company performance, although they did so through the 'back door': asserting the poor culture often leads to erosion of value. While this assertion is intuitively accurate, the next statement caught many in the audience off guard. The statement was, and I quote, "Good governance frameworks lead to good culture". Really? I looked forward to hearing how this might be. Sadly, the claim was not substantiated—the audience was left hanging. I was hoping for something more substantive than a straightforward claim. Fortunately, Wilson provided it—his comments caught the audience's attention. Wilson tackled several myths of culture head on, reminding the audience that culture and performance are different; that a good culture is not a reliable predictor of high company performance (although the opposite is more reliably true as Fox and Price made clear); and, that culture can actually be measured, despite assertions to the contrary. Wilson backed up each of these claims with stories and/or evidence, all of which had strong practical undertones. Most notably, Wilson called out the importance of the board to set the 'tone at the top', and to insist (through reporting and walk-throughs) to ensure that the 'mood in the middle' is consistent and not, as is more common a 'muddle in the middle'. Beyond the panelist's comments, my thoughts wandered to the title of Garratt's helpful book The fish rots from the head several times throughout the session. If the board is not leading by example, it is not leading at all.
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