BP chair removal, a reminder that board dysfunction is widespread, not exceptional
Professional body for non-executive directors and board members publishes polling showing high prevalence of board dysfunction, with chair behaviour the most cited driver.
The removal of BP’s chair Albert Manifold this week has drawn public attention to an issue that board members across the UK quietly contend with on a regular basis.
The board’s stated “serious concerns” over governance, oversight and conduct.
Polling conducted by NEDonBoard, Institute of Board Members, the professional body for non-executive directors and board members, shows that 80% of board members report experiencing board dysfunction on at least one of the boards they sit on. The most frequently cited driver is the behaviour or effectiveness of the chair.
“What happened at BP is unusual only in its visibility,” says Jean-Philippe Perraud, Chief Executive of NEDonBoard. “Our members tell us this kind of dysfunction is far more common than the headlines suggest. The chair sets the operating culture of the boardroom. When the chair is the problem, every other governance mechanism is compromised.”
NEDonBoard’s polling board members identified the most commonly reported sources of board dysfunction as: chair behaviour or competence, weak boundaries between chair and executive, poor information flow, and unclear decision rights.
“Boards don’t fail because of one bad meeting. They fail because of patterns that go unaddressed,” Jean-Philippe added. “The role of a chair is to create the conditions under which the board can do its job: challenge management without undermining it, hold strategy to account, and protect the company from groupthink. Where chairs operate more like executives, or where conduct goes unchecked, the board’s effectiveness erodes long before it becomes a public story.”
NEDonBoard runs a dedicated Chair series, a programme designed to address chair effectiveness directly, alongside its certified pathways for non-executive directors, experienced NEDs, and existing chairs. Its members are board members who take proactive steps to elevate their board contributions and effectiveness.
Jean-Philippe is available for interview today and tomorrow.
About NEDonBoard
NEDonBoard, Institute of Board Members is the professional body for non-executive directors and board members. For more than a decade, NEDonBoard has supported non-executive directors, chairs and aspiring board members across the full career lifecycle, from first appointment through to senior chair roles, through professional certification, structured programmes, and a community of board practitioners.
As an example, NEDonBoard has contributed with the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) on board-level digital and cyber governance.
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