Make a meaningful contribution to corporate governance
What is the role and responsibility of a board? How can governance make or break an organization? How can good governance contribute to society?
Effective governance is a key driver of growth and, increasingly, a distinctive competitive advantage for any organization. IMD’s Mastering Board Governance program will give you a deep understanding of the principles and practices of good governance, and the roles and responsibilities of a board.
Drawing on the expertise of IMD’s Global Board Center, you will learn from examples of governance successes and failures in various industries and locations, and apply these learnings to your own context.
Every week, you will connect with a group of your online classmates for an immersive board simulation. You will all have the chance to take on the key roles of Chair,Vice-Chair, and Company Secretary as you tackle specific tasks. Experienced board coaches give you feedback on the content and dynamics of your corporate governance work, and a jury of leading board members assesses your group’s final ‘investor pitch’.
The program will build your understanding of effective business decision-making and group dynamics and enable you to make meaningful contributions to a board. It can be taken as a standalone program or as the first step in the IMD Board Readiness Diploma pathway.
Mastering Board Governance is a fantastic collaborative experience that I recommend to all professionals interested in governance best practices, whether they are new to the subject or looking for continuous improvement. The program helped to improve my skills and was a source of inspiration.
Mastering Board Governance is an absolute must, not only for current and aspiring board members, but also for executive board members and senior management as it gives many insights into their collaboration with the board. It was a very exciting journey, with challenging and interesting teamwork with other participants.
Mastering Board Governance is an amazingly efficient course for improving your board’s effectiveness and anticipating risks. I enhanced my understanding of group dynamics, my ability to identify when and why a board underperforms and overall increased my added value as a board member for technological startups.
Your online learning journey
Mastering Board Governance is delivered over five consecutive weeks, requiring a time commitment of 6-8 hours per week. Each week covers specific content, with clear learning objectives and deliverables to help you measure the impact of your weekly learning.
You will gain in-depth knowledge of governance and the role of a board. Drawing on the expertise of IMD’s Global Board Center, you will learn from examples of governance successes and failures in various industries and locations, and apply these learnings to your own context.
You and your online classmates will complete specific tasks and challenges during weekly immersive board simulations. Your ‘board’ and your individual performance will be rated, and you will benefit from feedback and guidance from expert faculty and coaches. You will also have the opportunity to exchange with peers and connect with faculty during two real-time liVe virtual sessions with Didier Cossin, Program Director and Founder and Director of IMD’s Global Board Center.
- Be able to articulate what governance is and how it drives organizational performance
- Identify what defines good governance, notably the drivers and key characteristics
- Identify the role and responsibilities of the board in shaping governance
- Understand the importance of the board in driving organizational governance
- Understand the essential responsibilities of the board of directors
- Assess how a board reacts in times of crisis
- Evaluate the main functions of board supervision and control
- Assess the role of the board vs the role of the management
- Identify the major sources of board failure
- Identify the drivers of board effectiveness
- Gain the ability to assess a board against the first pillar of the “Four Pillars of Board Effectiveness” framework: People Quality, Focus and Dedication
- Articulate the importance of Pillars 2, 3 and 4 (information architecture, structures and group dynamics) to governance
- Diagnose a board’s effectiveness along the above dimensions
- Understand the board’s role in the strategy and risk processes
- Deepen awareness of critical board processes, such as managing CEO succession and M&As
- Define stakeholder engagement for boards, including stakeholder mapping
- Identify the board role in overseeing ESG and integrity
- Reflect on Stewardship and the Future of Governance
Meet your Program Director
Professor Cossin is the founder and director of the IMD Global Board Center, the originator of the Four Pillars of Board Effectiveness methodology, and an advocate of stewardship.
He works with senior leaders, executive committees, and boards to provide the latest thinking on best-in-class governance, board effectiveness, the governance and selection of investments, board dynamics, and strategy design. His latest research focuses on stewardship and how we can foster organizations to have long-term positive social impact while creating economic value for all.
Our structured, yet flexible online programs are designed for impact and delivered for you. Explore what makes the IMD online program experience exceptional.
Length: 5 weeks (6-8 hours per week).
IMD board diplomas
