A view of the board from a team perspective

With little research being made into the makeup of effective board room work, an ability to rely on first hand experiences and observations, as well as comparative data sources becomes vital in building a successful board.

This year's Alumni / Harvey Nash Board Report was just released and some of the most knowledgeable Swedish board members gathered for an event to discuss how the chairman creates and leads a successful team. The panel was comprised of Susanna Campbell (Kinnevik, Babyshop and Röhnisch) Fredrik Arp (Bravida and Nolato) and Katarina Bonde (Mentimeter, Opus and Flatfrog). The experienced panel highlighted the importance of creating an environment where members dare to take risks, leading by taking a step back, listening and letting others take the front seat as some of the keys to leading a successful board.

The Alumni /Harvey Nash Board Report shows that diversity, intensified digital communication and the gig economy are some of the factors altering the view of the chairman's role. Balancing a new dynamic while maintaining an aligned team is a tough challenge, Alumni Partner Catharina Mannerfelt explained in her opening remark for the evening. How can the chairman keep the members inspired, motivated and united as a strong team?

On stage Alumni Psychologist Andreas Lökken shared recent scientific findings on compositions of qualities and factors for productive and resilient boards. He explained the lack of research on board room work, from a team perspective since the work happens on such an abstract level compared to teams with more operational roles, for instance a military platoon or a first response team. This can pose a difficulty within board work as it can invite contradicting agendas and run the risk of the group being more of an alliance, meaning a group with separate goals but common task. The ideal is rather the much more efficient team - a group with the same definition of what the winning situation is. The panel discussed this challenge and agreed that keeping a clear and aligned focus is key to avoid diversions, and ultimately costly conflicts.

Fredrik Arp said his personal rule is leading by letting others be heard. A chairman must create a room where different opinions undoubtedly can be shared. But it takes time, Fredrik Arp says, team work doesn’t happen overnight. Understanding both the dynamic of the board and how to leverage individual skills is key to finding an efficient board process. Just as the science Andreas Lökken showed: the importance of trust within the group to create an open and also forgiving environment when mistakes happen. Katarina Bonde added an analogy of the chairmans’ role to birds in flight and how the leading bird is not always the one out front fighting wind resistance, but rather the flock is more effective taking turns flying out front. By letting different members of the board take the lead the chairman allows for the whole group to keep pace.

Susanna Campbell emphasized that the most important task for a chairman is to listen. “I ask a lot of questions. As a board member you have to be curious, that’s how we find inspiration and how we lead in a better way.”

The panel agreed that a foundation for a strong team is built on thorough assessments of the group. To have annual and constructive assessments will help make them part of a routine and feel more natural.

Creating a successful team takes time and commitment, but is a rewarding investment, Alumni CEO Magnus Tegborg concluded the evening’s discussions.

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