their website

Board Diversity is a common goal that associations are striving to be more inclusive, stay relevant and plan for the future. Achieving the goals of diversity on the board takes time and effort. It requires a willingness to look at the way your organization is run and who sits in the boardroom to consider how the process can be improved and to take decisions that will impact the organization’s future.

Diverse board members with skills and experiences that are aligned with the future direction of the business help the board to make better decisions, which improves the performance of the business and helps all stakeholders – employees, suppliers, and communities. Diversity fosters new ways of solving problems and thinking, creates opportunities and creates value.

When we invite women to boardrooms for example it provides an understanding of the preferences and culture of women customers. This perspective helps the board to make decisions that improve products or services, as well as build stronger relationships with consumers. This is why a carefully planned diversity strategy is so important for the boardroom.

A variety of academics have suggested that changing the composition of the board will broaden its knowledge base by providing information that is otherwise under the radar of a homogenous board. However the most recent study of the dynamics of boards suggests that the diversity of the board’s demographics is less important than the kinds of experiences, expertise and relationships that new directors bring to the table.

Boards can encourage diversity in a variety of ways, including setting targets, expanding the candidate pool and encouraging inclusion across the company. The most important thing is to create the right strategy that will suit your needs and fit your company’s culture.