麦肯锡-更好地合作：促进董事会与首席执行官合作的三种方法（英）

September 2024Strategy & Corporate Finance PracticeBetter together: Three ways to boost board–CEO collaborationAs the board’s role becomes ever more complicated, stronger partnership with management, especially the CEO, can help directors create the most value for their organizations.by Celia Huber and Frithjof Lund with Nina SpielmannBeing a board director has never been easy. But the confluence of disruptions and uncertainties in today’s business environment has made the job more and more demanding in recent years. In our experience, the role has also become increasingly consequential. As directors’ agendas and responsibilities expand, their perspectives and decisions have a growing impact on their organizations. The results from our newest McKinsey Global Survey on boards confirms that directors’ roles and responsibilities are increasingly complex.1 In the survey, most board member respondents say they’re dealing with this pressure by strengthening collaboration with their management teams. This can help directors align more meaningfully on their organizations’ priorities, better clarify their own roles, and focus their time on the most value-adding activities. While we know that the board’s relationship with the CEO is especially critical, just one-third of respondents say their boards and CEOs collaborate very effectively. The results from directors whose boards are best at working with company leaders suggest three ways to enhance collaboration: establishing efficient and effective board processes, communicating more often and openly with CEOs, and fostering a strong board culture.The complexity challenge for directorsThe survey results echo our experience: board members’ work is increasingly complex, and their time and expertise are increasingly in high demand. Not only is the business environment more unpredictable than before, but the range of topics that directors must prioritize continues to expand. Two-thirds of surveyed directors say the complexity of their boards’ role and responsibilities has increased in the past two years. What’s more, many of the topics on today’s board agenda, from generative AI (gen AI) and cybersecurity to the net-zero transition, were rarely discussed ten years ago.2 Meanwhile, directors are still responsible for the general oversight and strategic direction–setting aspects of their role.How have directors been managing this growing complexity? When asked in the survey about the specific tactics they use, the largest share of directors (59 percent) say they’re strengthening the collaboration between the board and management team (Exhibit 1). This is followed by the 52 percent who say they’re spending more time than before on their board work. Indeed, the average number of days per year that directors dedicate to board-related activities increased from 25 in 2019 to 30 in 2023.The value of strong collaborationWhile most surveyed board members agree that collaboration is important to their success, o