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Is a Board of Directors a Team?

Author

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  • Brennan Niamh M.

    (University College Dublin)

Abstract

Research to date on boards of directors focuses on board dynamics and on how board members work together. This paper considers boards of directors from a team perspective and whether a board of directors is a team, drawing on insights from team coaching. The paper first highlights the unique features of boards of directors. The paper applies the team diagnostic survey criteria to boards of directors as a construct to assess whether boards of directors are teams. The paper considers psychological safety, which is critical to team effectiveness, and questions whether boards operating as teams exacerbate boards’ propensity for groupthink. Viewing boards of directors from a team perspective introduces a useful human lens to understand board dynamics better and learn how boards can become more effective.

Suggested Citation

  • Brennan Niamh M., 2022. "Is a Board of Directors a Team?," The Irish Journal of Management, Sciendo, vol. 41(1), pages 5-19, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:vrs:irjman:v:41:y:2022:i:1:p:5-19:n:1
    DOI: 10.2478/ijm-2022-0001
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. G. Tyge Payne & George S. Benson & David L. Finegold, 2009. "Corporate Board Attributes, Team Effectiveness and Financial Performance," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(4), pages 704-731, June.
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    3. Niamh Brennan & Michael McDermott, 2004. "Alternative Perspectives on Independence of Directors," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(3), pages 325-336, July.
    4. Lukasz Derdowski & Torvald Øgaard & Einar Marnburg & Gro Ellen Mathisen, 2018. "Creative and innovative behaviours of corporate directors: an elusive role of task-related conflicts," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 22(4), pages 1045-1069, December.
    5. Gavin Nicholson & Amedeo Pugliese & Pieter-Jan Bezemer, 2017. "Habitual accountability routines in the boardroom: how boards balance control and collaboration," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 30(2), pages 222-246, February.
    6. Claude Francoeur & Caroline Aubé & Samuel Sponem & Faranak Farzaneh, 2018. "What do we know about what is going on inside the boardroom?," Post-Print halshs-01913077, HAL.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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