Determining Board Effectiveness

Investors want assurances that boards are operating effectively, but it is still unclear what effectiveness really means and whether it can be communicated outside the confines of the boardroom. Organized around key issues, this handbook draws on the experience of seasoned board directors and leading corporate governance experts to tackle the challenges boards face as they review their structural and decision-making processes.

Topics covered:

• What standards and metrics are appropriate for assessing the effectiveness of the board?
• What impact does the board's infrastructure have on its effectiveness?
• How does the board's composition relate to its effectiveness?
• How does the board evaluate itself either collectively or individually?
• How does the board go about making necessary changes in strategy, structure, and processes to improve its effectiveness?

Special features:

• "Issues for Discussion" at the end of each section
• insight from representatives of General Motors, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, TIAA-CREF, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Pearl Meyer & Partners, Stanford Law School, Chase Manhattan Corporation, LENS, American Society of Corporate Secretaries, CSX Corporation, and Heidrick & Struggles, among others