Why when companies come crashing down do we hear of boards who have failed in their fiduciary
duties? Or that they have been ignorant complacent or downright complicit in these scandals
and downfalls?Of course corporate scandals are nothing new nor are they limited to any one
geography. They are a damning indictment of our systems of corporate governance around the
world. And yet despite this frequency little or nothing changes. We shrug and move on
accepting they are an unavoidable part of the system that produces incredible wealth for
economies and societies. But it should not be that way. Disaster in the Boardroom shows how
boards can be better. Looking at why these scandals happen authors Peterson and Brown present
in-depth case studies of major global corporations - including recent contemporary scandals
associated with companies such as BP Facebook and Uber - using the optic of their unique
original and compelling 'six dysfunctions of the board' analysis to reveal their
particularities but also how they can be overcome.In this book Brown and Peterson explore
common attributes of scandals such as lack of independence from management missing key voices
cultural amplification diffusion of responsibility rule-bound cultures and groupthink. They
also identify ways to strengthen boards improve their culture and competence and give
directors and others the power to take action and ultimately prevent disasters from
happening.Disaster in the Boardroom is essential reading for every executive in every boardroom
those aspiring to board positions as well as anyone interested in why boards fail. It has never
been more important to pre-identify and eradicate these boardroom dysfunctions - not least so
that their impacts upon society can better seen understood mitigated and avoided.
