Board Research & Advisory

The Board Research & Advisory Department assists in board development, as well as that of the director and boardroom community, by addressing complex boardroom issues. Our engagement with the board at various levels over the last three decades, lends us the sensitivity of understanding various board matters and its burning & upcoming issues.

We engage in knowledge and resource development through research papers and surveys; board & directors’ performance evaluation to track and augment board effectiveness to achieve the vision of the organisation; develop strategic foresight capabilities for boards; contribute in catalysing the board’s climate governance initiative and commitment; extend arbitration, mediation and conciliation support; as well as enable value creation through integrated reporting.

The objective behind establishing the Board Research & Advisory wing is to enable best practices by way of research collaboration, benchmarking, framework development, evaluation etc., keeping with IOD’s mission of “Building Tomorrow’s Boards”.

RESEARCH

INSIGHTS

UPDATES

BOARD & DIRECTORS' PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

Improving the effectiveness of the Board is a priority for leading organizations everywhere. IOD has developed tools to assess the effectiveness of boards which combines survey as well as one-on-one interview results to produce a fact-base of improvement opportunities.

We help you identify and surmount the barriers impeding your Board’s effectiveness through Specialised Advisory, Consultancy & Training Services. Our well recognized and industry leading evaluation programmes can be tailored to suit your objectives and are known to impact performance positively. You can also count on us to streamline your existing evaluation procedures by facilitating the use of industry benchmarked assessment tools.

What gets measured gets managed

~ Peter Drucker
Austrian-America Management Thinker, Professor, and Author

MEET OUR BOARD EXPERT COMMITTEE MEMBERS

BOARD EVALUATION SERVICES

Improving effectiveness of the Board has become a priority for leading organizations everywhere. Our evaluations are customised as your sector of operation, to match your objectives and are designed to impact performance positively.

IOD has developed a unique and enabling approach towards evaluating board and directors’ effectiveness, which combines quantitative and qualitative assessments, with ‘one-on-one’ interactions and discussions, to produce a fact-based report, one that also uncovers for the Board, effectiveness improvement opportunities. IOD helps in identifying and surmounting the barriers impeding your Board's effectiveness with an actionable agenda suggesting a way forward after the evaluation process is complete.

To know more about KEY AREAS OF EVALUATION, our EVALUATION PROCESS & METHODOLOGY, Please reach out to us: Proposal

Note: Considering the sensitive nature of information shared, responses to questionnaires and interactions of Board members with the IOD Board Expert and Team are kept strictly confidential (as per the Non-Disclosure Agreement).

STRATEGIC FORESIGHT CELL

In the wake of the global pandemic, and preceding, as well as resulting economic & political uncertainties, organisations and governments around the globe have been in a state of flux. Organisations and leadership have been marred with the precarious state of the global economy. Plans and strategies have gone awry. Existing structures have become redundant and challenges have changed.

IOD recognises, the only tool that will enable the development and sustenance of future-proof organisations and future-ready boards today is the tool - ‘Strategic Foresight’.

The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Paper - “Strategic Foresight for Better Policies: Building Effective Governance in the Face of Uncertain Futures” (October 2019) defines strategic foresight as, “A systematic approach to looking beyond current expectations and taking into account a variety of plausible future developments in order to identify implications for policies today.” The Paper also elaborates, “It does this by revealing implicit assumptions, challenging dominant perspectives, and engaging with surprising and significant disruptions that might otherwise be dismissed or ignored.”

Basis the above it is clear, going forward, Boards’ strategies & policies based on insights derived from foresight will be enable the boards to establish a competitive advantage for their sustained growth.

IOD aims to:

  • Sensitise the Boardroom community on ‘Strategic Foresight for Boards’

  • Train Boardroom leaders to develop foresight capabilities

  • Contribute to developing some of the first ‘Strategic Foresight Professionals’ in the country

  • Develop a framework for the ‘Board’s Strategic Foresight’, and equip organsiations to develop a customised framework, suitable to their organisation and industry

Foresight is not about predicting the future, it’s about minimising surprise.

~ Karl Schroeder
Canadian Professional Futurist

DEVELOPING CAPABILITIES

EVENT ON STRATEGIC FORESIGHT

SPECIAL ISSUE ON STRATEGIC FORESIGHT

To know more about Strategic Foresight for Boards, please reach out to us: Proposal

CLIMATE GOVERNANCE ADVISORY FORUM - BOARDS’ CLIMATE CHANGE INITIATIVE

The India Chapter of the Climate Governance Initiative, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum has been instituted at IOD.

The ‘Climate Governance Initiative’ of the ‘World Economic Forum’ has supported the development of national fora of company/non-executive directors across the globe through its ‘Chapters’, with 15 established ‘Chapters’ currently, and many more at varying stages of development which through webinars, workshops, round-tables and toolkits enable good climate governance.

IOD recognizes the critical impediments of the on-going climate crisis to global financial stability, and hence is accelerating efforts in this direction. We are committed to engaging with the Boardroom & Director community to elevate the governance of climate change risks and opportunities, based on the CGI Principles.

DEVELOPING CAPABILITIES

Climate Change
is the defining issue of our time
and we are at a defining moment.

~ António Guterres, UN Secretary-General

To know more about Climate Governance Advisory Forum and the Boards’, Climate Change Initiative, please reach out to us: Proposal

ARBITRATION, MEDIATION AND CONCILIATION DIVISION

Preference to ‘Arbitration’ is usually given over ‘Litigation’ because the process of Arbitration is:

  • Cost-effective

  • Speedy Settlement of Dispute

  • Simpler procedures (Informal process)

  • Flexibility in time-schedule and place

  • Subject Experts related to dispute can be appointed as Arbitrator

Arbitration is the need of the hour, bearing in mind the delays in litigation, the acquittal rate, the expenses and the number of legal formalities involved.

 

Current situation of Litigation in India

Civil matters are expected to have disposal within 3 years.

Criminal cases are expected to be decided within 6 months.

 

Current situation of Arbitration in India

Section 29A of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 provides that an arbitration award shall be passed within 12 months from the date when the arbitral tribunal enters upon the reference.

This duration can be extended by 6 months with the consent of both the parties.

To know more about our Arbitration, Mediation and Conciliation (AMC) Division, please reach out to us: Proposal

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FORM:



FAQ's

Q.1 What is the Board Research & Advisory Department? What does it do?

The Board Research & Advisory (BR&A) Department at IOD has been established with the view to move the needle in board effectiveness. We assist board development, as well as that of the director and boardroom community, by addressing complex boardroom issues. 

We engage in knowledge and resource development through research papers and surveys; board & directors’ performance evaluation to track and augment board effectiveness to achieve the vision of the organisation; develop strategic foresight capabilities for boards; contribute in catalyzing the board’s climate governance initiative and commitment; extend arbitration, mediation and conciliation support; as well as enable value creation through integrated reporting.

Our engagement with boards at various levels over the last three decades lends us the sensitivity of understanding various board matters and its burning & upcoming issues.

We aim to enable best practices by way of research collaboration, benchmarking, framework development, evaluation etc., keeping with IOD’s mission of “Building Tomorrow’s Boards”.

​​​​​​​

Q.2 What are the benefits of Board & Directors’ Performance Evaluation Service?

We have an ‘enabling approach’ towards Board & Directors’ Performance Evaluation. Our reports aim to ‘enable’ the board to improve its effectiveness, as a whole, as well as that of its Committees and individual members.

Our fact-based reports helps in the following:

  • Aligning the working of Board as whole, to the vision and mission of the organization
  • Clarity to the common objectives of the Board as whole
  • Identifying gaps and concerns hindering effective Boardroom functioning
  • Identifying underlying improvement opportunities
  • Presenting an actionable agenda to bridge gaps and address concerns, appropriately
  • Actionable results to improve the effectiveness of Board
  • Improved corporate governance practices that positively affect dynamics in the Boardroom, resulting in better company performance and shareholder confidence

Our customized assessment involves a multi-pronged approach, combining:

  • Quantitative questionnaires
  • Qualitative questionnaire
  • One-on-one interactions of select Board members (at the discretion of the Board Expert and Team)

Please note: The entire evaluation process is kept strictly confidential, as per NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement)

Q.3 Why should your Board go for Performance Evaluation?

As Peter Drucker said, “What gets measured, gets managed”.

Performance Evaluations help to highlight the strengths of the board, as well as identify gaps & concerns. This enables the Board to improve its functioning, and align their work to achieve its objective and targets, thereby realizing the vision of the company, setting it on the path to sustained growth.

The IOD Board Expert and Team very well understand and respect the sensitivity of board matters and dealing with board members- seasoned professionals, leaders from diverse backgrounds.

As an external evaluation team, coupled with our engagement with Boards and the Directors community for over three decades now, we are able to take an informed, objective view.

Our evaluations have proven to be beneficial even for existing well-run boards, reinforcing appropriate roles and responsibilities, giving the board and the directors an appropriate platform to review critical issues and their contributions as a board/ community member; thereby protecting the interests of all stakeholders.

Please note: The entire evaluation process is kept strictly confidential, as per the NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement)

Q.4 How can we assist and guide in conducting effective Board Performance Evaluations?

The Companies Act, 2013 and SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015 places the onus of these evaluations on the Nomination and Remuneration Committee.

As an external and independent reviewers, the IOD Board Expert and Team, conducts an evaluation that is customized as per the industry of operation, scale of business, board structure, while also paying heed to any specific objectives the organisation/ board/ NRC Committee/ Secretarial Team may have from the evaluation.

Q.5 What is the process and the methodology to be followed by in the evaluation of Boards and Directors, including Independent Directors?

We have an enabling and constructive approach towards all evaluations. Through the evaluation process, we aim to enable Boards to better align their functioning with the vision of their organisations, thereby contributing to increased effectiveness and overall growth of the organisation.

Step 1: Advance discussion with the Company Secretary/ Nominated Authority on:

  • Finalization of proposal
  • Gathering of requisite information such as current board structure, board member profiles etc, and requisite documents, including NDA (Non-disclosure Agreement)
  • Current board processes
  • Expectations from the process

Step 2: Preparation of customized qualitative and quantitative assessment by IOD Board Expert and team, based on the company’s specific industry, and its vision & goals.

Step 3: Sharing the questionnaires directly with Board members, individually through email; and receiving duly filled-in responses. (This correspondence is only between the Board member and IOD point of contact {POC})

Step 4: Checking availability of Board members for brief one-to-one discussions with IOD Board Expert and Team, basis a go-ahead from Board Secretariat/ coordinating team.

Step 5: Formal discussions with Board members (at the discretion and advice of the Board Expert and Team)

Step 6: Analysis & compilation of the questionnaires, discussions and preparation of the Board Evaluation Report by IOD Board Expert and team.

Step 7: Final submission of ‘Board Evaluation Report’ to the nominated authority (as indicated by the Company Secretary/ Appointed Authority).

Please note: The entire evaluation process is kept strictly confidential, as per the NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement)

Q.6 How can one request for a proposal for the performance evaluation service?

Please follow the steps detailed below:

Step-1: Kindly complete the ‘Request for Proposal’ form here: CLICK HERE, or email us at info@iodglobal.com

Step-2: Once the form is received, a team member would touch-base with you to understand your needs.

Step-3: A detailed proposal will be shared via email.

Q.7 How long does the entire evaluation process take?

In general, it takes around 2-3 weeks for a condensed process.

The timeline may vary depending on the scale and scope of the evaluation process.

Q.8 What is your fee structure?

Our services and fee structures vary as per the scale and scope of project.

For overseas clients, we are pleased to offer USD prices.

Q.9 Are the evaluation processes ‘Confidential’?

Yes, considering the sensitivity of board matters, the entire process, including any information shared, responses to questionnaires, discussions and interactions between board members, secretarial team and the IOD Board Expert and Team are kept strictly confidential (as per the Non-Disclosure Agreement).

Important Note: On account of signing of NDA with all Performance Evaluation clientele, IOD, at no stage, can disclose the clientele’s identity.