Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Board effectiveness

To start with…

…read this article on why boards need to get interpersonal, consider the following summary, and then answer the questions below.

So, to summarise…

Most managers, if asked, will list “communication” on the top three most important issues in their firm. Communication is the key to a functioning, living, and successful business. This is true on any level in the organisation – also at top management level.

A board of directors is usually responsible for overseeing the activities of an organisation. Typically, its members are top managers in the firm, as well as outsiders who have great knowledge and understanding of company management. They work together to direct and lead the organisation. Since it is composed of many people, who may have different perspectives on the company, their ability to communicate is essential to their firm’s direction. But it turns out, boards are not always great at what they do.

What gets in the way for functional boards: lack of trust between board members, which leads to silence when voices should be heard; personality and personal style differences; and ineffective delivering of feedback. Not all board members have had the opportunities to develop their communication and interpersonal skills, and therefore not all of them can equally contribute to the board’s effectiveness.

How can boards improve their functionality? Here are some suggestions: the personal development of each member’s communication skills; a commitment to continuous self-improvement of the members, including interpersonal skills in the selection criteria for board members, familiarisation with the company, and innate curiosity and passion to understand others. It all sounds great, but how easy do you think it is to find people like this in practice?

Some issues to notice and pay particular attention to here are…

• Barriers to communication
• Ways to overcome barriers to effective communication
• Negotiations and bargaining strategies
• Conflict management

Consider the following questions for discussion…

1. If you examine the communication process (p. 326-328), how would you describe communication in boardroom meetings? How important would nonverbal communication be in these meetings?
2. What barriers can potentially disrupt communication in boardroom meetings?
3. How can board members overcome such barriers?
4. Have a look at the interpersonal skills listed on p. 336-337. How would a deficiency in any of these skills affect the effectiveness of boards?
5. Would you expect negotiation skills to be important to boards? Why?
6. What is your view on the role of conflicts in board meetings? Are they useful or destructive? Why?