Diversity and Critical Thought in Boards

Board Diversity and Effectiveness

Boards are essential to organizations that require experience, leadership, guidance, and oversight. Boards should address the needs of the organization, both internally and externally. They can do this by being diverse, committed to the organization, and by encouraging and partaking in critical debate on matters of performance and effectiveness.

The importance of board background diversity is due to the fact that the board itself provides multiple functions for an organization, such as oversight and guidance. But more than that the board must also have experience with and understanding of the organization, the industry, and connections to external environments—such as political, economic, and social environments that could and often do impact organizations. When boards are not composed of diverse members, the chances of the organization having connections to the various environments or of having members who understand the industry is minimal. But the more that members of the board come from diverse backgrounds, the more likely it is that these members will be able to supply the organization with rich guidance and smart stewardship while the organization attempts to navigate the various pitfalls that await it down the line (Brinckerhoff, 2012). An additional reason diversity is important is that communities today are diverse, and a board should represent the diverse set of values that are found in the community so that a fabric can be woven that interconnects cultures and people and unites them all under one objective (Faith@Work Summit, 2014).

Commitment is also crucial because without commitment there is no sense that the members of the board are actually going to put the interests of the organization before all else. Commitment is what ensures that members of the board are going to show and do their duties to the organization, providing guidance on matters that require their insight and experience; setting objectives with the rest of the members of the board; being there to answer questions, assess information, and help the CEO or other leaders make good decisions (Bowen, 2008).

Finally, critical debate in relationship to board task performance and effectiveness is important because without debate there is no actual application of critical thought or discernment. Critical thinking is one of the most vital qualities that a leader can have, and a board should engage in critical debate so as to exercise critical thinking skills. If a board is full of yes men or people who engage in group think, the organization will essentially be in poor hands. The board needs to be able to ask tough questions, identify problems, gather information, sort the information based on what data is most relevant and pertinent, and then encourage good decision making based on what the most relevant information suggests the right course of action to be. Critical debate in board meetings can help leaders reduce their biases or assumptions, and it can help show others why research matters (Ionnidis, 2018; Page et al., 2019).

The more that board members show up, i.e., demonstrate commitment, the more likely the board will have the opportunity to debate issues. The more diverse the board is, i.e., the more its members hail from different backgrounds, the more likely it is that the board will have the experience, understanding, knowledge, and insight to debate important matters. The more that the members of the board possess critical thinking skills, the more likely the board will be able to debate matters that require thought, care, and consideration.