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    Clearing hurdles provides a sense of accomplishment

    Governance Phd Research
    At high school, I was an "above average" middle distance runner. I won a few races and was selected for regional competitions. Running on the track seemed to come reasonably naturally to me. I didn't train to any great extent. In contrast, the hurdles races were a challenge. I just couldn't get the timing right and would inevitably knock over hurdles or, worse still, end up in a heap somewhere along the track. Despite practice, I struggled—until one day I slowed down, concentrated entirely on technique, and cleared all 10 hurdles! Looking back along the track, the sight of 10 standing hurdles spoke volumes. I had accomplished my goal. I promptly retired (at the ripe old age of 16), having achieved my only clear run, ever.

    Visual feedback is great. It gives a sense of achievement. Whether it's looking back at 10 standing hurdles, admiring a painted wall, or taking in the vista having climbed a mountain peak, the sense of progress and achievement is tangible and immediate.

    This week, I cleared another (albeit small) hurdle along my research journey. The doctoral journey is long and arduous. Breaking it down into bite-size chunks is necessary, for my own sanity and to measure progress. My research proposal was submitted for consideration by the Confirmation Panel. While I still have to defend the proposal in front of the panel, the sense of accomplishment that came from completing and submitting the written the proposal was very real. For six months, I have been preparing for this week—reading, thinking, collating ideas, arguing with myself (and others on a couple of occasions), editing text and adjusting my argument. If the proposal (and my defence) is acceptable, I'll lock in another "cleared hurdle", and get started on the next chunk of work—ethics and case selection. Fingers crossed.
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    Regulation, diversity, investor confidence and company performance

    Governance Research
    Have you noticed the rising tide of news stories about corporate governance in recent months? While some have highlighted the fraudulent behaviours of some boards and directors, most of the articles have focussed on efforts to improve the quality of governance around the world. 

    Much of the current discussion is focussed on regulation and diversity. Some regulators, including those in Singapore, believe that good regulatory frameworks are key to investor confidence. Many others, including Hong Kong's Exchange HKEx and noted academic Dr Richard Leblanc, are promoting diversity as a means of improving the quality of governance. I applaud these moves, but question whether regulation and diversity are the variables that will reliably deliver the main goal of good governance: better company performance. Regulation, for example, is a compliance tool not a growth tool. While they provide important safeguards for shareholders and stakeholders, they don't help companies to grow.

    My conclusion, having reading hundreds of research reports and peer-reviewed articles, is that behavioural factors, social context and an active involvement in strategic decision-making are far more important than regulatory, structural or composition factors. As such, this is where our efforts to improve governance performance should lie.

    Ultimately though, the bottom line remains the same. Shareholders—whether professional investors or small business owners—need to know that the board is fulfilling its mandate to maximise company performance. If regulation or diversity helps achieve that, then well and good. If not, then let's move our attention to other factors—quickly—for the good of our economy and society.
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    Back on deck after a wonderful road trip

    Societal Wellbeing
    Image description
    This is a quick note to let you know that I am back on deck after a wonderful road trip with my wife.  We clocked up 1200 miles (sorry, the odometer in our old car registers "miles") during our holiday in the South Island of New Zealand. Along the way, we walked, talked, sat, saw some stunning scenery and spent some time with our two sons. While I've really enjoyed the time out, my doctoral research was never far from my mind. Normal [blog] transmission will resume in the next day or two.
  • Published on

    Expecting (start-ups) to fail is dumb

    Management Readings Societal Wellbeing Strategy
    One of the joys of being a researcher is that you get to read widely. Alongside the governance and research methodology material that comes across my screen every day, I see articles about related topics like philosophy, strategic management, start-ups and leadership. 

    One particular article about start-ups and venture capital caught my eye today. The WSJ correspondent cited new research from Harvard Business School that three out of every four VC-backed companies fail to return their investor's capital. That's right, three out of four. And that's the good news. The failure rate of non-VC-backed companies is worse.

    "Venture capitalists make high-risk investments and expect some of them to fail, and entrepreneurs who raise venture capital often draw salaries". Why is this? To my arguably naive mind, expecting a business fail is just plain dumb. Why aren't VCs more discriminating? Surely, some more effort up front, to assess an opportunity more rigorously and ensure a robust strategy is selected, would make sense? Or is that akin to asking an adrenalin junkie to avoid high-risk pursuits? Perhaps it is, but more so, perhaps it's time for the VC community to adopt a less cavalier attitude with what is often other people's money in the first place. I suspect the failure rate associated with pushing unsustainable ideas would decline. And if that happened, we'd all be better off, I'm sure.
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    When is a director no longer independent?

    Governance Management Research
    Does the holding of company shares automatically compromise a director's independence? And when is a director no longer independent?

    These questions have troubled shareholders, prospective directors, legislators, and researchers for many years. I suggest the answers depend on what one means by the words "independence" and "independent", because there is a world of difference between acting independently (independence of thought and decision) and being independent (no vested interest).

    If a director holds no pecuniary interest in the company then it is reasonable to expect them to act independently in their considerations, discussions and decision-making. Things can get a little more complicated when a director holds shares. They are no longer independent (by definition), however they may still act independently. In my experience, there is no hard-and-fast line, beyond which independence is automatically compromised. Some directors with small shareholdings (1–3%) struggle to act independently, whereas others with larger holdings (5–10%) seem to be able to act independently, even though they are not independent.

    I would be interested to hear the views of others, particularly behavioural specialists, to debate these questions, and determine whether finding answers actually matters (or not).
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    Gender diversity and performance: new evidence

    Governance Research
    Does gender diversity in the boardroom improve company performance? This question has been comprehensively researched and debated for many years, however definitive evidence has remained elusive—until now, perhaps. A comprehensive research report just published by Credit Suisse shows that companies with gender diversity in the boardroom perform better than companies with all-male boards, using data from 2360 companies from 2005–2011.

    While the results show some definite trends (the benefits of diversity within management, for example), the researchers stopped short of attributing the increased performance to the presence of women on boards. Clearly, diversity is having an impact, but how and why? As the report states, "there is not one easy answer to why gender diversity matters". Could it be that a wider set of experiences and viewpoints is contributing to a more vigorous debate; or that the presence of women leads to a greater level of engagement by board members? The results from the Credit Suisse report are helpful, but the bottom line is that we simply don't know—yet.