NEW YORK, NY, USA, 24 January, 2017 — A new publication from Deloitte Global explores the critical issues which non-executive directors need to consider to navigate a 2017 that will be full of uncertainty. The 8th annual Directors’ Alert, Courage under fire: Embracing disruption features a compilation of viewpoints by leaders across Deloitte’s global network and interviews with independent board members from around the world discussing key challenges board members are expected to face in 2017 and the strategies they can leverage to overcome obstacles to long-term success.
“As public scrutiny of boards of directors increases and the pace of technological change quickens, how well boards are set up for success becomes the central question,” said Dan Konigsburg, senior managing director of the Deloitte Global Center for Corporate Governance. “Our 2017 Directors’ Alert is a tool for board members to use throughout the year to raise important issues within their own organisations.”
Geopolitical events, technological disruption and the growing risk of cyber-attacks have all contributed to a very unpredictable business environment. At this time of uncertainty and disruption, strategy design and execution have never been more important.
What really differentiates strategy is courage. In the context of business strategy, courage is the willingness to engage in courageous conversations, to encourage courageous considerations and to make and execute courageous choices. Directors should challenge themselves on how they are injecting courage into their strategy.
Today, there is a renewed focus on the importance of culture in driving strategy. According to the publication, the importance of culture is perhaps most apparent when things go wrong, as misalignment between culture and strategy may not only reduce an organisation’s ability to achieve its strategic objectives, but derail its strategy altogether and significantly damage an organisation’s reputation.
Twenty-twenty hindsight about company culture is not enough. An organisation’s leaders – its board of directors and senior management – need to set the cultural tone of the organisation and lead by example. Furthermore, organisations need to assess the cultural climate on an on-going basis and determine whether it is enabling or hindering the underlying strategy.
To prepare for the future, organisations must understand what external factors are contributing to business disruption, as well as what internal factors are hindering how they deal with disruption. It is very difficult to sustain long-term success in the current environment if disruption and innovation are not part of the fabric of the organisation.
“Boards and management need the courage to disrupt their own business models, methods and processes, even if they are still producing results,” said Michael Rossen, managing director of the Deloitte Global Center for Corporate Governance. “If boards are not innovating and asking questions about how their organisation is navigating disruption, forming new ecosystems and tapping into open talent markets, then an organisation may be missing critical opportunities.”
“Uncertainty can lead to organisations feeling overwhelmed. Our publication has identified ways that boards can improve their approach across these seven areas and ultimately, be more confident about their decisions,” said Konigsburg.
Press Contact:
Stephen Soyland
Global Communications
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited
Tel: +1 212 492 4503
ssoyland@deloitte.com
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