Abstract/Summary

This research study pursues the impact of directors’ behaviour on board-level decision-making. The data were collected through elite interviews with 27 board members, which consisted of chairpersons, CEOs, executive directors, and non-executive directors. These interviews were semi-structured with open-ended questions, and the data collected was then thematically analysed in order to identify themes. Each of these themes was followed by several sub-themes that emerged from the analysis. The analysis process of the research was inductive, where codes were extracted from the data, and then codes formed sub-themes which eventually led to forming themes. Seven key themes emerged from the analysis, skills and experience; CEO-Chair roles and relations; conflict resolution and board dynamics; information, communication and engagement; professional and personal backgrounds; gender and technology and managing situations beyond our control. The research made an in-depth examination of director attributes, board members' interaction, engagement, conflict, board dynamics through directors’ behaviour and the effect on board decision-making. The research findings suggest that a number of factors impact directors’ behaviour, which is one of the key components in board-level decision-making. Directors’ behaviour is deeply associated with the above-mentioned themes, and so directors’ behaviour can impact board decision-making and hence organisational outcomes. So, the directors’ behaviour is regarded as one of the keys to an organisation’s success, which recent research has failed to shed light on, which is why the findings of the research are so significant for both literature and practice.