Shifting Leadership in the Boardroom: Truly Powerful Boards

Power plays a vital role in the overall effectiveness of a board, as it does in any working group. But boards face unique tensions in the kind of power they require and in how power is best distributed within the group. Many of today's new governance practices are aimed specifically at ensuring a greater balance of power between the CEO and the directors. In practice, however, this should be a balance that shifts depending on the issue that is being considered.

By design, a board's oversight role implies that it should have a strong role. Reality, however, often gets in the way. In the vast majority of American boards, our research and that of others suggests that power still remains ...

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