Spencer Stuart Study Reveals that Directors Believe Expectations on Board Members are Too High

Sixty percent (60%) of directors say that there is a gap between the expectations placed on boards and the reality of the board's ability to oversee a company, according to the 2016 Global Board of Directors Survey, released from Professor Boris Groysberg and Yo-Jud Cheng of Harvard Business School, Spencer Stuart, the WomenCorporateDirectors (WCD) Foundation, and researcher Deborah Bell.

"Directors themselves may be more qualified than ever, but they are facing higher expectations than ever," says Julie Hembrock Daum, head of Spencer Stuart's North American Board Practice. "These expectations are coming from multiple stakeholders – investors, consumers, regulatory bodies, the media – in a climate of unprecedented demands for transparency and accountability. We see directors seeking to stay ahead of these demands and devoting more time to board prep and information gathering."

And board leaders are the ones who are the key drivers in creating the right composition: "Our research on corporate governance suggests that more diverse and inclusive boards are impossible to build without board leadership playing a major role in attracting and appointing diverse board members," says Professor Groysberg.

The survey – which polled directors on issues ranging from the economy to quotas to director skills – captured responses from more than 4,000 male and female directors in 60 countries around the world, and is one of the largest board surveys ever. Additional data from the survey was released earlier this year, including findings around the issues of cybersecurity, diversity, and the need for attracting and retaining top talent.

To view the Key Findings around Board Skills, Processes, and Priorities, visit www.spencerstuart.com/who-we-are/media-center/are-expectations-on-board-members-too-high-most-directors-think-so