Critical Thinking in Boardroom - Essay Example

Task 1

Importance of critical thinking at the board level and the impediments to boards engaging in critical thinking

Critical thinking at the boardroom level is very elemental in realizing effective leadership in an organization. Through critical thinking, board members can come up with critical decisions, as discussed below.

A better understanding of the prevailing context

Critical thinking enables board members to come up with vital questions on the current state of affairs, gather adequate and relevant information based on abstract ideas that can lead to well-reasoned conclusions. Moreover, through critical thinking, board members can think in an open-minded way that enables them to assess personal assumptions, possible consequences, and the values of specific reasoning by examining them against a set criterion.

Enables evidence-based judgments

Through critical thinking, board members can identify, evaluate, and reach conclusions on issues based on the available evidence surrounding the issue. Thus, it is easy to identify potential pitfalls that undermine the organization's performance based on existing evidence, which can be used in building better judgment (Trower, 2012). Thus, board members observe what's going around them, diagnose issues, and interpret them to facilitate accurate and timely judgments.

Ability to incorporate counter-arguments

Through critical thinking, board members can raise different arguments on specific issues and evaluate them to arrive at a conclusive decision. Trough the counter-arguments, better decisions are most likely to be developed and achieved.

Impediments to boards engaging in critical thinking

There are two primary impediments to boards engaging in critical thinking. One of them is the fear of being wrong, which prevents board members from an in-depth examination of issues affecting organizational performance. Another primary issue that characterizes impediments to boards engaging in critical thinking is the feeling of being right all the time as rational beings. Thus, board members may come up with wrong conclusions without their knowledge out of the belief that their rational thinking makes their point of views correct.

Task 2

How can a governing board, recognizing the gaps mentioned here, address problems associated with these gaps via principles of tri-modal governance as leadership?

Multiple gaps in knowledge, skills, individual cognitive biases, and group dysfunctions among board members pose various problems to the board’s high performance. However, these problems can be adequately addressed via the principles of tri-modal governance as leadership, as discussed below.

Embracing teamwork

Teamwork among board members is an elemental principle in tri-modal governance. It enables the sharing of common goals, purposes, and consequential objectives, which significantly reduce multiple challenges associated with individual critical thinking among the members. Through this, each member feels more appreciated in terms of their value addition in decisions that affect the organization.

Promotion of Governance as a model among the Board Members

Creating governance as a model enables all board members to feel engaged in all the organization's affairs. Thus, the desire to attend board meetings and the willingness to provide intellectual capital is significantly high (Trower, 2012). As provided in the text, tri-modal governance has multiple benefits to board members, as far as their participation in meaningful decision making is concerned. Moreover, it reduces micromanagement levels among the board members as more macro-governance is adopted instead. Thus, more time can be allocated in brainstorming among the board members.

Building Consensus

One of the primary challenges that affect and undermine critical thinking among board members is the fear of being seeing wrong or right. The practice is very dangerous as it undermines the possibilities of reaching a consensus. Through the principle of building consensus, board members decide where to put more focus, based on the prevailing issues. Thus, through this, it is easy to reach a decision on what best suits the organization. The practice also enables the evaluation of various types of thoughts presented by different board members, reasons behind their arguments, and the ability to arrive at a common page.

Task 3

Most Challenging issues that board Members find Challenging in Board Leadership

According to the article, board leadership is characterized by multiple challenges that require high levels of patience and commitment to overcome. Board members experience various challenges that may prevent them from realizing their full potential in providing organizational leadership. According to the author, various aspects surrounding board leadership pose various challenges to board members leading to poor organizational performance. Thus, based on the author's report, there are various issues that I believe that I would find more challenging if I were serving in aboard.

Building trust

According to the author, trust is one of the elemental issues needed for board members to succeed in their organizations. As provided by the report, trust creates stewardship, an essential requirement for leaders who are zealous to serve. Trust is attained through faithfulness in the area of service within the organization and through the relationship that one creates with others. However, based on the author's report on building trust among board members, I can relate to its various challenges. Boards are made up of multiple members of different characters, values, and beliefs that determine how easy it is to work with them. As a board member, I am convinced that working with people of diverse characters may pose a challenge when trying to create trust with them. The ability to realize healthy professional relationships with the significant number of the board members and the C.E.O. may be a challenge as personal conflicts are most likely to rise. According to Ferkins et al. (2018), trust among board members is based not only on what they do in the organization but also on their integrity outside the office. Thus, as a board member, one must have proved beyond doubt that they can preserve their integrity in all areas of their lives. Attaining a good image that can create trust among all the board members, management, and outside the office is not a simple task. As a board member, just like the author in the report states, I would most likely struggle to achieve consistency in my performance and presentation in a way that can enable me to create the highest level of trust among my colleagues, as well as the management.

Following Policies

As provided in the report, policies are designed by board members, leaders, and the management in the organization, as a primary way of addressing possible tensions that may arise during the execution of duties by various stakeholders in the organization. Therefore, as a board member, following policies may pose a significant challenge for me based on various reasons. Like every other board member, I would struggle to adhere to specific policies that I feel may contradict my point of interest. According to Challenges in board leadership (2012), most board members are faced with the challenge of conflict of interest, as they may find it hard to respect decisions made by the management or specific individuals on the board. Further, due to individual interests among the board members, there is a general feeling that some policies are designed to target or undermine specific members of the board. Thus, such scenarios are most likely to pose a challenge to me, as far as following policies is concerned.

Allowing the C.O.E. to do their duty

Most Board members find it hard to act within their line in a way that does not interfere with the execution of duties and responsibilities of the C.E.O. As provided in the report, the C.E.O.'s primary role in an organization is to provide the final direction that the organization should take. However, in achieving this, the board of directors is very important as it provides support, as well as evaluating the C.E.O.s, and how their competency in the organizations. From this practice, most board members face the challenge of interfering with the work of the C.E.O.s as they may act beyond their control. The possibility of meeting and sharing with the C.E.O. on office matters outside the office is a common challenge for many board members. As a board member, I would feel obliged to discuss or share an opinion with the C.E.O. whenever we meet. Another potential issue that may prompt board members to interfere with the work of the C.E.O. is the feeling that their performance does not offer the best direction for the organization. Board members are most likely to react to underperforming C.E.O.s in a way that may affect the C.E.O.'s work in the organization. Since board members share in the leading roles with the C.E.O., they are easy to tell in occasions where he/she is underperforming or carrying out activities that undermine the effective performance of the organization (Coulson-Thomas, 2019). Due to the increased pressure of realizing a collective responsibility of setting the right and most effective leadership in an organization, board members are faced with the challenge of creating a favorable environment for the C.E.O. to perform their duties.

Adapting to C.E.O. changes

The C.E.O., alongside the board members, is tasked with providing leadership in an organization. The two must work closely in formulating policies and providing the right direction that the organization should take. However, the C.E.O. is identified more with the leadership directions and performance in an organization compared to board members. Thus, board members are more likely to be influenced by C.E.O.s when performing their duties as provided by the author in the given report. Thus, on occasions where a new C.E.O. has to come into place, board members struggle when adapting to the new leadership styles. Consequently, thus board members are most likely to struggle when adapting to a new culture and leadership style brought with changes in C.E.O.s. According to Vollmer (2017), C.E.O.s define organizational culture. Even though the organizational vision and vision may not be affected by changes in C.E.O.s, their leadership approach and culture may significantly interfere with the already existing way of doing things in the organization, consequently posing a challenge among the board members (Board Effect, 2016).

Taking personal responsibility

As provided in the given report, there is a general fear of taking personal responsibility among the board members. Thus, as a board member, I may find it challenging to engage in an activity that may create a sense of individualism, however important it could for the organization. The general belief among board members that decisions and responsibilities have to be done on a shared responsibility poses a significant challenge for organizational performance. Due to fear of conflict of interests, board members find it challenging to take individual responsibilities that promote success in the organization. In view, group decisions from all the board members must be involved.