Externally-Facilitated

Thinking Board is our web-based self-assessment tool which leverages all our deep-rooted experience with leading Boards and demonstrates our constructively stimulating approach in an easy-to-use way.

If you combine Thinking Board with some additional consulting support you can extend it to an externally-facilitated review.

This externally-facilitated approach means you get the benefits of:

• rigorous questioning – we’ll push back if we think you are leaving out important issues
• objective, independent analysis of the results
• a nearly-final board paper with independent observations and recommendations.

The independence brought by these components means that they add up to an “externally-facilitated review”.  (The difference from a full external review is that it is not interview-based and doesn’t involve board paper review – and it costs a lot less.)

Under this approach, we work with you in using Thinking Board to devise tailored questionnaires, undertake the initial analysis of results and prepare a draft Board paper for discussion by the Board:

Taking a board review as an example:

Questionnaire design and completion	We finalise questionnaires specific to the company’s circumstances after discussion with the Company Secretary and, possibly, the Chairman.  These would usually cover the performance of the Board, the Committees and the linkages between them, and possibly the individual Directors.
Analysis of results	We collate and analyse the results of the completed questionnaires, and identify issues that need to be followed up.  If necessary, the follow up would include short (telephone) interviews with selected individuals.
Findings and draft board paper	We prepare a draft summary of our findings for discussion initially with the Company Secretary then with the Chairman and agree with him how best to present the final conclusions to the Board.  This can often take the form of a draft board paper.  As well as independent analysis of the results, this also includes our observations and our suggestions for improvement, these reflecting our experience of undertaking full external board reviews and our latest thinking on what drives board and committee effectiveness.
Facilitated discussion with the Board	We may then attend the Board meeting to facilitate a discussion with the Directors about the findings and help them to explore the issues.