Talking about board dynamics and other activities beyond
The Tavistock Institute was invited to speak at the 7th Annual Corporate Governance & Accountability Conference of the Barbados Stock Exchange (BSE) on 27 September 2019. The event was co-sponsored by ICSA: The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
Associate Consultant, Tazi Lorraine Smith gave a talk about dynamics at board level and participated in the Q&A panel alongside other speakers. At the conference, Tazi explained:
There has never been a more pertinent time to realise the crucial importance of patterns of behaviour in boards and the dynamics that underlie these behaviours.
The Walker Report published in 2009 in response to the credit crunch, demonstrated that board behaviour cannot be regulated or managed through organisational structures and controls alone; it is through understanding behavioural processes that a board functions effectively and ultimately it is the responsibility of the chairperson to facilitate this.
Yet despite these findings, corporate governance failures continue to happen. Digging into the reasons for the demise of many high-profile corporations: eg Carillion and Patisserie Valerie (and very recently, Thomas Cook), it seems that boardroom dynamics continue to actively contribute to organisational failure.
The BSE programme can be viewed here and read further about leadership and transparency here.
In the same month, the Institute further cemented its commitment to bringing its work to the Caribbean by holding the 2nd Group Relations conference, Surviving and Thriving: A New Dawn for Caribbean Leadership in Trinidad & Tobago. The conference drew leaders from eg the office of the Prime Minister, education and a major oil company. There are plans for a 3rd GR conference in 2020.
So, how to gain a deeper understanding of systems psychodynamics, the role of unconscious dynamics in the boardroom and how your board relates to both the organisation it leads and to its stakeholders? You can read about our modular, experiential, professional development certificate programme: Dynamics @ Board Level beginning in June 2020.
The good news is that you need not wait until June to immerse yourself in the Tavistock Institute’s approach. In December this year, the new book, Dynamics at Boardroom Level: A Tavistock Primer for Leaders, Coaches and Consultants will be published by Routledge with Tazi Smith as joint editor, along with the Co-Directors of the Dynamics @ Board Level programme, Dr Leslie Brissett and Dr Mannie Sher. Reserve your copy here.
The editors of the book are available to speak at Annual General Meetings and Stock Exchanges around the world, in order to support positive change for organisations that want to thrive from the top, through healthy corporate governance and boardroom practices.
The Tavistock Institute also offers its unique approach to board evaluation for organisations, with a wider and deeper scope than the usual evaluation: looking at evolving roles, effective leadership, group dynamics, enhancing diversity, managing complex relationships and developing a positive culture.
If you’d like to explore any of these avenues further, contact Rachel Kelly