The Organization Behind This Book
The word organization can be used in many different contexts. I use the word to refer to the formal organizational structure of this book, run as a company. I chose to set up a professional board to bring to life the principles of the book and to explore the dynamics as they played out on our board.
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Behind the book
The Building Bridges in Board Dynamics organization
The Building Bridges in Board Dynamics organization was established in 2022 with the purpose of spreading knowledge on how dynamics can play out in a Board of Directors, whether in the boardroom, in the committees or in between the formal meetings.
The outcome, or you could say the product, produced by this organization is a published practical book that helps new board members enter and work on the board, with a focus on what is happening underneath the surface.
There are many programs that can teach you all about the tangible areas and responsibilities of fulfilling your role as a board member. But by understanding the dynamics under the surface – the intangible aspects – you will learn how to show up as both competent and confident in your new role.
Our organization practices what it preaches. This is done by establishing a dedicated board of directors to lead this book’s production.
The board of directors was set up to be as diverse as possible, with both the original group and additional members elected based on this principle The multi-role dynamic was also played out since the owner, the chair and the CEO are one person. We acted like a start-up eager to run 90 miles an hour, which added healthy tension when faced with our need to comply with the “Rules of Procedures” and good governance.
We had our ups and downs throughout the production of this book, something we became acutely aware of thanks to the way we frame our board meetings. We made sure to lean into and understand what was going on under the surface. Before meetings, each individual spent five minutes after arrival to prepare a pre-brief, and after, we debriefed by sharing with other members our thoughts and feelings on how the meeting turned out.
This gave us data to study the dynamics in the board of directors – a temporary organization that started with an idea and ended with the publication of this book. In addition, the board of directors worked differently from an operational organization since we only acted as a group four to six times a year.
Our board is comprised of members with varied skills and experiences to support the subject, a board of directors focused on diversity in all respects.
Thoughts behind the book
The Idea
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10 years ago: Boards started the journey of good governance, moving away from the “old boys’ network”
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Today: Active and value-creating diverse boards
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In the next 10 years: Active boards will adapt and work more as an organization (without taking on the operational responsibility, of course). That's to say, boards will need to understand also the psychology to fufill the purpose of the board.
Thoughts behind the book
Challenges
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Active boards require active leadership
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Organizational management requires an understanding of the psychology of the organization, both above and below the surface
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More active boards imply both a broader and a partial interface with the organization, and therefore a broader and also an individual transference between the board and organization
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Diversity requires an understanding of the full person
Solution:
A handbook with cases to demonstrate the psychology in the board and to get concrete actions for board members, the chairperson and other roles
The people behind the book
Board Members
Annette Lang Skovbølling – ASEO Invest: Investor, CEO, Board Professional, Denmark
Ashley Morris – Progressive Media, Podcast Mentor, UK
Dorrit Kromann – Kromanns, Board Professional, Board Dynamics Handbook Founder, Author, Denmark
Leo Smith – Partner in Talents Unlimited, PhD in Organizational Mentoring as Strategic HR Practice
Lesley Antoun – Lesley Antoun Consulting, President, Board Professional, Canada
Paul Diponkar – OMERS, Associate Director, Data Platform Engineering, Canada
Peter Koefoed – Peter Koefoed, Cand.Psych.Aut. Specialist and Supervisor in Psychotherapy and Organizational Psychology, Denmark
Phaedria Marie St. Hilaire – Phaedria Marie Consulting, CEO and Chief Consultant, Board Professional, Denmark
Authors
Dorrit Kromann – Kromanns, Board Professional, Board Dynamics Handbook Founder, Author, Denmark
Leo Smith – Partner in Talents Unlimited, PhD on Organizational Mentoring as Strategic HR Practice
Publisher
Inspired By Publishing, as led by Chloë Bisson
Editor
Deborah Schindelman
Podcast Editor
“Progressive Media” – Ashley Morris
Graphics
“Aftryk” – Sabitha Jørgensen
Introducing the Board Dynamics Board Members
Let me introduce myself first. It is I, Dorrit Kromann, who was behind the idea of the book. I have worked in the crossroads between business leadership and organizational psychology my entire work life. I’m Danish, live in Denmark and have always been passionate about learning and understanding. I am an experienced board professional and investor.
Annette Lang Skovbølling. Annette is also Danish and lives in Denmark. Annette is a serial entrepreneur and investor, so she has seen many of the dynamics that evolve as a company goes from start-up to scale-up to fully fledged corporation. I met Annette through a recommendation from my network.
Ashley Morris. Ashley is based in the UK and comes with a very different set of competencies. Ashley is a podcast consultant and expert client manager at a digital media company. Ashley brings very fresh perspectives to our discussions and meetings. I got to know Ashley through networking on LinkedIn after I had posted a link on diversity by Andrea Petrone. We connected and he recommended Ashley to produce my podcasts. I asked Ashley if he would be “the young and new in boards” member and here we are now.
Leo Smith. Leo has a PhD in Organizational Mentoring and lives in Denmark. Leo brings a wealth of knowledge on organizations and talents in boards, such as what is needed in which type of board. One chapter of the book is about knowing how to use your own personal talents and Leo signed up to write it. I know Leo from a recommendation at a seminar on angel investments provided by Nykredit Wealth and DANBAN.
Lesley Antoun. Lesley is Canadian and is an experienced executive with extensive board experience. Through direct board memberships as well as advisory roles, Lesley has extensive knowledge of the dynamics in boards. I met Lesley through a recommendation from Andrea Petrone. I have a lot to be thankful to Andrea for.
Paul Diponkar. Paul lives in Toronto, Canada. He has held various tech leadership roles and has a deep understanding of how technology impacts processes and organizations. He leads one of the largest Data Professionals Communities (non-profit) in Canada. With a diverse background, Paul grew up in South Asia, attended universities in Sweden and the UK, and spent over a decade building his career and family in Denmark. I got to know him and his lovely family when we, as part of a larger group, organized a charity concert for Bangladesh.
Peter Koefoed. Peter is a Cand.psych.aut (Master of Psychology), group analyst, specialist and supervisor in occupational and organizational psychology and psychotherapy. Peter is our heavy hitter when it comes to psychology. He helps us to look at our hypothesis through an academic and practical lens. Peter is also Danish and lives in Denmark. I met Peter when I got my Masters in Organizational Psychology. He was part of the team that developed this new curriculum back in 2001, the first time psychodynamic organizational theory was considered a formal subject and worthy of a stand-alone degree in Denmark. It was at this time that dynamics in operational organizations became part of the organizational understanding.
Phaedria Marie St. Hilaire. Phaedria has many years of executive experience in life sciences and also works as a business angel and board professional. She now lives in Denmark but was born in Dominica and was educated in the US. She therefore has some insight into minorities and is an active and strong player in this field. I got to know Phaedria at Angella Invest where she gave a talk about female investors at one of the events. I reached out and she found the book and organization interesting to support.
I’m truly grateful to these seven fantastic people who chose to join me on this journey.
Thank you!