How do you manage board member conflict?

The board is a team that needs to work together for the best interests of the organization. Conflict among board members can undermine the board's performance and reputation. To prevent and manage conflict, board members should adhere to a code of conduct, clarify roles and responsibilities, and use respectful and honest feedback. Further, managing board member conflict is like orchestrating a symphony; it requires a delicate balance of perspectives, harmonious communication, and a shared commitment to the crescendo of collective success…

Create a fearless environment where board members can share their thoughts, learnings, mistakes & fears in a safe way. I often use the power of silence, e.g. by the talking stick: recently I coached a team of board members with a lot of unspoken pain. By using the talking stick people got the opportunity to share their thoughts without being interrupted or harmed. But even more important:you were only allowed to use the talking stick and speak when you first had summarized what the other person before you said. By this people really learned to listen to each other before thinking about their own opinion....

Healthy conflicts and disagreements are very common but when it gets ugly, the executive director/chairman of the board should intervene and create an environment where the interests and priorities are on the organizational decisions rather than personal egos. Most board members are seniors with huge experiences. - I would recommend the following so that the investors do not feel the instability of the board: - Orientations, rules and responsibilities during the onboarding - Set up of expectations with members and how their contributions significantly impact the decisions Sensing these situations ahead, lead the discussions by giving voting options or chits. Then they are further approached seeking clarifications.

Board members need to prioritize the best interests of organizational goals and performance. The conflicts must be addressed in a very diplomatic and delicate manner which does not create friction and hamper interests of the board members. Certain ethics and code of conduct or rule book must be implemented and followed by the members.

The key isn’t to avoid conflict. There is room for arguing that boards with zero conflict are likely ineffective and not accomplishing anything but the status quo. Healthy conflict is what moves boards toward the best and most creative ideas. Group think and echo chambers accomplish little and can even reinforce bad habits and policies. Boards should foster diverse opinions, safe spaces for hard conversations, conflict resolution practices, and a deep understanding if not an appreciation for dissenting opinions and votes rooted in a respect for everyone in the room. The right conflict is a good an necessary thing, while the wrong conflict and attitudes can leave a board either at permanent odds or stuck in silence.

A solid onboarding and orientation process is critical for new board members. Creating transitions plans between board member terms ensures stability and consistency for policy adherence and knowledge. Boards must have a strong alignment with the necessary roles/responsibilities in order to maximize board competencies. So often, talent is not leveraged to achieve goals within the board infrastructure.

In my experience it isn't the policies that cause the conflict, nether do they resolve conflicts. In my experience the conflict is driven by different goals and priorities. If the board is not aligned on the outcomes decision making becomes conflicted as different members reach fir different outcomes. In times of deep conflict it may be useful to go back to planning and make sure your on the same page.

Executives and boards should embrace their responsibility to deliver meaningful, measurable and financially sustainable results. This is only possible when boards clarify the mission of their organization and passionately push to keep getting better-thus with clearly defined respective non-conflicting roles and expectations. Executives and boards have to listen and respond to the needs of the people they serve, as they recruit, develop, engage and retain the talent necessary to deliver the mission.

It's great to get feedback and input from a wide variety of perspectives but ultimately things need to get done. Having clear, written down Delegations of Authority can help to avoid confusion over who is ultimately accountable for certain decisions and actions.

Develop a conflict resolution policy: Develop a policy that outlines how conflicts will be resolved within the board. This will help prevent conflicts from escalating in the future.

Transparency and open communication establishes trust and respect. This foundation helps the organization and board navigate challenging times when they do arise.

Agree, building trust is foundational. Actively seek input from all board members, especially the more quiet ones. Mindset --> Conflict itself is not bad and can indicate robust thinking around a discussion topic. Have agreed-upon ground rules for your meetings to help people stay focused on issues rather than emotions.

A lot of Board meetings are taking place remotely, which can make it harder to maintain the strong working relationships needed to handle conflict. I would encourage Boards to make time to get together, in person, even if it's only once a year. It will make those disagreements easier to work through.

Executives and boards have to cultivate trust-based relationships with key policymakers. They keep policymakers and key stakeholders informed about their work; advocate for policies and funding that can benefit constituents; and advocate against proposals that could adversely affect constituents. Embracing a culture that cultivate diversity and inclusion at every level of the organization, thus promoting a wide array of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives henceforth building a foundation of symbiotic effectiveness towards an organization's creativity, empathy and effectiveness.

Several years ago, an organization I know well undertook a transformation to address some problems and materially improve its programs and services. The organization had done a good job while it was small. As it expanded to provide a broader set of services, quality suffered. In my experience, people who improve, innovate, and adapt are respectful curious souls and self-learners. An organization’s culture should encourage people to ask questions, seek advice, do research, improve what they do and how they do it, help each other, push each other’s thinking, probe, nudge, adapt, look at things from different vantage points. All of these behaviors lead to improvement and innovation for the organization and the individuals who are part of it.

One of the critical aspects of board work, especially in larger boards, is to avoid cliques among members who happen to know each other from other settings. It may seem innocuous to discuss board matters in smaller groups, but it easily leads to a situation in which board members suddenly have different data sets when meeting in quorum.

Executives and boards have to treat internal and external communications as a strategic function that is essential for delivering great results and building symbiotic relationships both vertically and horizontally thus minimizing chances of eruption of non healthy conflicts. Conflicts are inevitable yet have to be kept at minimal transactional levels for both internal and external communications. The perennial unhealthy conflicts in organizations are mostly around issues of succession plans. Executives and boards have to engage in clear succession planning for the CEO, board chair, and other senior leadership roles. They have to place leaders in roles to challenge and prepare then for greater responsibility.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats, whiteboarding the 'pros vs cons' or 'benefits vs concerns' are simple yet effective ways to work through the issue(s). A good Chair or an experienced facilitator should encourage structured thinking and focus on the task at hand rather than philosophical differences.

Leaders are inherently disruptive, dissatisfied with the status quo, questioning. They move the organization and people out of their comfort zones. They drive change, always looking for ways to improve. A healthy organization needs leaders in key strategic positions including, of course, the top. Managers, by contrast, have to keep the trains running on time. They make sure people do their jobs well, achieve intended results, and have the competencies and resources they need to succeed in their work. There must be balance. If leaders hold too much sway, the organizational culture often ends up being chaotic. If managers prevail too much, the organizational culture tends to be tied to maintaining the status quo.

Encourage collaboration: Encourage board members to work together to find a solution that benefits everyone. Seek outside help: If the conflict cannot be resolved internally, consider seeking outside help from a mediator or other third party.

As a non Exec Director I've seen annual Board Development days used really well to look forward and strategise but we don't often look back to learn from previous experiences. Looking at what wins were delivered - how, why, challenges overcome - will uncover a wealth of learning on how to move forward better.

In my experience, people who improve, innovate, and adapt are curious souls and self-learners. An organization’s culture should encourage people to ask questions, seek advice, do research, improve what they do and how they do it, help each other, push each other’s thinking, probe, nudge, adapt, look at things from different vantage points. All of these behaviors lead to improvement and innovation for the organization and the individuals who are part of it. Conversely, if you really want to stifle this kind of positive culture, all you have to do is kill the dialogue by demean or punish people for asking questions or offering advice; fail to acknowledge when they need help or direction; or avoid being clear and forthright.

Having served as a non- Executive director to four non profit making organizations I have learnt and observed that three things always need to be balance; thus cultivate diversity and role of manager's skills , secondly inclusion at every level and lastly engaged succession planning. Looking at succession it is the major contributor to conflicts which spills over to reversing or disrupting an continuous learning and improving if succession is not clearly defined and anchored in consistency and trust based relationships. Managers are essential to translate leaders' drive for excellence into clear workplans and incentives to carry out the work effectively and efficiently.

Having structures such as an up-to-date, agreed upon, legal and relevant code of conduct, a current constitution, and knowledge of governance principles. Recruit and Induct new Board members professionally and thoroughly for a start. Deal with issues when they are small. Don't be afraid of conflict, but make sure it's respectful, less about ego's, more about the Vision, Mission & Values. Board members bring skills and their Points of View, but need to stay open to feedback and be open minded. Use common sense!! Do a Board self Assessment annually, and get outside help in a timely manner if the Board can't sort things out themselves. Care greatly, challenge when needed, but with respect.

Board member conflicts can be very positive. If you never get a conflict in the board then the members can be wrongly chosen. The important thing is to find a system to handle them. A coach can also help to analyze and find reasons why for example two of the board members cannot really agree. When the coach had explained to two of our members that their difference in personality made it difficult to agree. It was refreshing to hear the members conclude: We will have difficulties to agree sometimes in the future but now we know why.

It is not just important but imperative to encourage personal growth. One nonprofit executive shared what he tells his people: “Life is change. Therefore, as individuals or as an organization, by definition, either we’re getting better or we’re getting worse.”