Research handbook on boards of directors

Introduction: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"? A call for more context sensitive research on boards of directors — Part I The inside-- Board behaviour and performance — Board informal hierarchy and board performance — Dealing with strategic tensions on the board: The role of the chair in fostering engagement and debate — The determinants of trust in the boardroom — Narcissism: A covert threat to functional board dynamics — Opening the black box of boards of directors: Taking stock of recent studies on board dynamics — Boards in family firms — Family directors monitoring non-family managers: The impact of family representation in the board of directors on CEO replacement decisions after poor performance — Analysing the board of directors in family firms: An integrated framework for future research directions — Part II The outside-- Re-visiting the concept of independence — Independent directors: Experience and value in contrasting economic contexts — The management of independent directors: A praxis hypothesis — Interconnections and impacts — Board of Directors: Building Relationships with Non-Shareholder Stakeholders — The changing role of the chairperson of the board: An analysis of business press articles in UK, USA and Germany — Multiple board memberships and the inner circle in family business groups — The effect of the introduction of the gender quota regulation among public limited companies' boards in Norway: Taking stock, looking ahead — Part III The environments-- National contexts — Governance research and practice in the 21st century: Taking stock of board reforms — Institutions, governance, and strategy in a changing global landscape: The case of boards of directors in large listed firms in France — Board of directors within African contexts: Current perspectives and key directions for future research — Roles and tasks of German supervisory boards: An exploratory view — Global trends — Corporate governance and climate change: The new zeitgeist of sustainability for boards of directors — . Digitalisation and the role of the board — On value and value creation: Perspectives from board research and practice in SMEs — Rethinking boards and governance in the digital era: Implications for practice and research.

Boards of directors are complex systems, and it is imperative to understand what the contextual forces are that shape the direction and make-up of boards. This Research Handbook provides inspiration for researchers and practitioners interested in the manifold dimensions and facets of context surrounding boards of directors. ; ; The contributions identify the complexity and multiplicity of contexts in which boards of directors work and operate, as well as indicating how board members interact with, and influence their contexts. The chapters explore national and institutional differences, divergent understandings of board requirements, climate change and boards' duties, transformation due to digitalisation, family firms, and micro-contextual dynamics affecting boards and their decisions. This Research Handbook promotes board accountability, questions the relative position of companies in society, and reconsiders governance from a multiple context, multi-actor perspective. ; ; Building a greater understanding of the main issues and theories surrounding boards of directors, this Research Handbook will be ideal for ; students and scholars of business and governance. Practitioners and policy makers can also find material for their evolving frameworks.