Boardroom Disputes : How to Manage the Good, Weather the Bad, and Prevent the Ugly
A dynamic board seeks to stimulate the flow of ideas, identify key issues, consider alternatives, and make informed decisions. And for that you need deliberation and debate. But these positive processes can sometimes turn into boardroom disagreemen...
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| Language: | English en_US |
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International Finance Corporation, Washington, DC
2017
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/768081486008917225/Boardroom-disputes-how-to-manage-the-good-weather-the-bad-and-prevent-the-Ugly http://hdl.handle.net/10986/26053 |
| Summary: | A dynamic board seeks to stimulate the
flow of ideas, identify key issues, consider alternatives,
and make informed decisions. And for that you need
deliberation and debate. But these positive processes can
sometimes turn into boardroom disagreements that must be
dealt with properly and promptly; otherwise, they can
devolve into acrimonious disputes that undermine the board’s
effectiveness and the company’s performance. This paper
describes key steps that boards can take to mitigate the
impact of disputes, and, even better, to minimize the risk
of disputes arising in the first place. It is intended as
companion and post-training material for a course called
‘managing disputes and difficult conversations on the
board.’ This highly interactive course for board directors
was created by the IFC Corporate Governance Group in
partnership with the Center for Effective Dispute Resolution
(CEDR). It is designed to help directors understand board
conflict and conflict styles, and it covers difficult
scenarios that directors often encounter. The course offers
guidance and practical tips for how to have a difficult
conversation; for handling avoidance, high emotions, and
status issues; and for breaking through deadlock, and how to
apply these skills specifically in a board context. This
publication also can be used as stand-alone guidance for
boards. While the training itself focuses heavily on
individual development of interpersonal skills relevant in
the board context, this publication also deals with the
board as a collective body that needs to cultivate its
ability to manage disputes effectively, starting by
establishing good corporate governance policies and practices. |
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