HOI research | What is most important about the role of the board chair?

The board chair assumes a great deal of formal responsibility for the companies and organizations for which they serve. In light of this, it is important for scholars to focus attention of the role of the board chair.

New research, conducted in part at the House of Innovation, focuses attention on the past and the future of research related to the role of the board chair. By reviewing 234 academic articles published in 66 journals, this study provides a future research agenda for other studies on the role of the board chair.

The review reveals that the number of published studies on the position of the board chair has grown over the last two decades. Most of this research is quantitative studies that explore the impact of the board chair position on financial performance. However, recent work has moved beyond this focus and has added valuable insights based on more in-depth and process studies. According to this study, future research should pursue topics related to all components of the framework and that opportunities exist to draw from a broader set of theories. On a macro level, this review shows a growing global movement toward prescribing more corporate governance regulations and separating the positions of the board chair and the CEO.

Researchers

Anup Banerjee
Jönköping International Business School, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden

Mattias Nordqvist
House of Innovation Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm, Sweden

Karin Hellerstedt
Jönköping International Business School, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden