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Featured Governance, Boards Article, board strategy
Making the board more strategic: A McKinsey Global Survey

March 2008

Corporate directors want to spend more time developing forward-looking strategies that help maximize shareholder value. Boards that are already highly influential in creating corporate value work differently.

Featured Governance, Boards Article, mckinsey global survey 2007
Premium Content
The state of the corporate board, 2007: A McKinsey Global Survey

June 2007

Corporate directors want more information about their companies and industries, and they say that investments by private-equity firms improve governance.

Featured Governance, Boards Article, interview Daniel Yankelovich
Exploring business's social contract: An interview with Daniel Yankelovich

May 2007

A founding father of public-opinion research explains why shareholder value isn't enough.

The Archive

2007
China's state-owned enterprises: Board governance and the Communist Party Premium Content

February 2007

As the state-owned sector attracts strategic investors, they find themselves befuddled by the role of an almost invisible power: the Communist Party.

Governing China's boards: An interview with John Thornton Premium Content

February 2007

The ex-president of Goldman Sachs talks about his experiences as a reformer of board governance in China.

2006
Improving strategic planning: A McKinsey Survey

September 2006

Executives say their companies could be a lot more effective at developing a strategy and implementing strategic plans, and they suggest some areas for improvement.

Shaping strategy from the boardroom Premium Content

August 2006

As companies turn their attention from compliance to growth and innovation, boards must focus on strategy.

Recovering from crisis: An interview with the CEO of McKesson Premium Content

May 2006

John Hammergren discusses his strategy to revive a wounded company.

What directors know about their companies: A McKinsey Survey Premium Content

March 2006

Corporate board members are more actively involved than they have been, and they are often—but not always—knowledgeable.

Improving board performance in emerging markets Premium Content

February 2006

The pressure keeps growing for companies to tackle a range of governance issues.

2005
Governing joint ventures Premium Content

March 2005

Better oversight isn't just for wholly owned businesses.

The view from the boardroom Premium Content

March 2005

A McKinsey survey of directors shows that they’re tired of playing defense.

2004
How to separate the roles of chairman and CEO

November 2004

Many companies that thought they knew how to split them stumbled along the way. Five steps can make the process smoother and more successful.

Outside directors and lawsuits: What are the real risks? Premium Content

November 2004

They are less serious than many people think.

Splitting chairs: Should CEOs give up the chairman’s role?

November 2004

It takes two, says Jack Creighton, a veteran of many top executive jobs.

A new era in corporate governance Premium Content

May 2004

Directors and investors are demanding reform. Companies had better prepare for it.

Agenda of a shareholder activist

May 2004

Fund managers should be good owners, not just traders, believes the head of Europe’s leading shareholder-activist fund.

Asia's governance challenge Premium Content

May 2004

Corporate governance in Asia has improved, but implanting new forms of behavior will take time.

Living with scrutiny

May 2004

The ability to explain corporate decisions is now the very essence of management.

The dynamic nonprofit board

May 2004

Corporations aren’t alone in focusing on governance; rigorous oversight of management and performance is increasingly important for nonprofits too.

What directors and investors want from governance reform

May 2004

A survey of directors and institutional investors shows that board governance still has a long way to go.

Why codes of governance work Premium Content

May 2004

Corporate-governance codes are definitely effective—within limits.

2003
Keeping the family in business Premium Content

November 2003

Very few large family-owned enterprises thrive beyond the third generation. Those that do find ways to run themselves professionally while making the family happy.

Running with risk

November 2003

It’s good to take risks—if you manage them well.

2002
Change across the board Premium Content

November 2002

Investors are angry. Directors can run but they can’t hide.

Gloom at the top

November 2002

Weak boards have allowed unscrupulous executives to enrich themselves at the expense of employees, shareholders, and communities. Strong boards are the answer.

Inside the boardroom Premium Content

November 2002

A McKinsey survey of corporate directors.

A market for the well governed Premium Content

August 2002

The success of the companies listed on Italy’s STAR exchange shows the value of high corporate-governance standards.

A premium for good governance Premium Content

August 2002

In emerging as in developed markets, companies that adopt strict corporate-governance practices are being rewarded by institutional investors.

Better boards in Thailand Premium Content

August 2002

Thai companies can raise their market valuations by improving their performance on four dimensions of corporate governance.

Brazilian boardrooms Premium Content

May 2002

For many industrialists in Brazil, the choice between full control and maximized value is a hard one.

2001
All in the familia Premium Content

December 2001

Family-owned businesses in Latin America need stronger governance structures to survive and thrive in an era of globalization.

Corporate reform in the developing world Premium Content

December 2001

Advocates of more effective corporate governance have been focusing on corporate reform at the expense of institutional reform. Now is the time to change tactics.

2000
Building Asian boards Premium Content

December 2000

In just over a year, the once novel concept of board governance has become entrenched in the banking system of South Korea. Its experience offers lessons for other Asian countries still struggling to recover their economic credibility.

Three surveys on corporate governance Premium Content

December 2000

Investors say they would pay more for the shares of well-governed companies. It is hard to measure the market impact of these hypothetical premiums, but there is little doubt that good governance does make a difference.

1999
No more board games Premium Content

August 1999

To do the job properly, corporate boards will have to become more diverse, more involved, and more financially rewarding to their members.

1997
Why investors push for strong corporate boards Premium Content

August 1997

CEOs who resist pressure for strong governance risk having institutional investors or regulatory bureaucrats tell them what kind of board they should have.

1996
Putting a value on board governance Premium Content

November 1996

According to a survey conducted by McKinsey in conjunction with Institutional Investor, Inc., good governance practice really does make a difference—a difference that many investors are willing to pay for.

1995
Building a stronger board Premium Content

May 1995

Don’t start something you can’t finish. Peer review? Most of your directors’ time is spent in the air.

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