Overview

The book is a compelling inquiry into a topic which impacts all companies but stays shrouded in mystery of what ails boards and how they can add value. The Role of Boards explores the issues and challenges that afflict Indian boards, unravels the array of key strategic weapons for winning the corporate war and proposes action steps for architecting a sustainable competitive edge. Packed with signposts, strategic checklist and principles to guide management and organizations towards sustainable corporate excellence and national development, the book is the new boardroom bible in the emerging post-pandemic and technologically disruptive world. It starts with an examination of the ground realities of Indian organizations and the way in which selfishness, scams and scandals are destroying value, hurting stock markets, increasing the gap between the rich and poor and reducing trust. It then conceptually studies the role of various pillars which can be leveraged for building sustainable competitive edge in organizations: continuous innovation, customer centricity, cost and quality leadership, speed to the market, agility, organizational ambidexterity, people power, ethical governance and strategic leadership. To enhance boardroom governance, the book advocates path breaking recommendations especially in terms of its composition, competence, agenda, decision-making and attention to strategic matters apart from the traditional focus on conformance and compliance. The book is unique in its study of Indian boards from the behavioural point of view. It is the first-of-kind to have used the actor approach to examine the nuances and facets of boardroom realities in India and makes recommendations from that vantage point. The book is contextual, rooted in Indian realities, futuristic and recommendatory for enabling corporate India to contribute to the ambitious national endeavour of Atmanirbharta—self-reliant and self-sufficient India.

Full Product Details

9789353887216

Table of Contents

Reviews

This is a terrific book which will undoubtedly add to the authors' reputation as talented analysts of the role of boards in steering corporations along sustainable paths. The book is cunningly well written, sassy even, besides being very perceptive and timely. It should prove most enlightening, particularly in regions of the world where we cannot afford to waste more time or people. -- Alfredo Behrens * Professor of Cross-cultural Leadership, University of Salamanca, Spain, and FIA Business School, Brazil * The uniqueness of this outstanding book is that it looks at board effectiveness and value addition through the lens of individual behaviour and group dynamics, rather than through the usual legal or financial approach. It is an excellent blend of state-of-theart theory and practice which demystifies board governance through evidence-based research and practical recommendations. The book also highlights the critical role of purpose, values and mindsets in determining the focus and strategic decision-making processes of the board. It is a must-read treasure house for those connected with boards, especially in the Indian context. -- Rajeev Dubey * Principal Advisor, Mahindra and Mahindra * This book is an instant classic that will be read and consulted by all CEOs, corporate board members and regulators, and those who seek to become one, for years to come. The book has brought out, with remarkable ease and candour, compelling anecdotes and insider's insights, empirical research and conceptual analysis, the issues and challenges of boardroom functioning and performance. Good governance is going to become a competitive advantage of business in future. The book provides the foundation and road map for good governance necessary for sustained corporate success. It is a must-read for all leaders and boards of organizations as well as future leaders and students. -- S. Y. Siddiqui * Executive Advisor, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd * Role of Boards: Building Sustainable Competitive Edge by Pritam Singh, Asha Bhandarker and Subir Verma describes the blueprint of a corporation and its board. It explains where the load-bearing pillars are and the layout of the essential pipes and wires that all board members must know to manage a corporation effectively. A leader is the one who takes the first step towards something she or he deeply cares about and in ways that others wish to follow. This blueprint is also useful for those inspired to lead a movement of change in corporate conduct, to make the world better for everyone and who want to break out of the prevalent corporate management paradigm. They must read this book, not because they want to be better board directors, but because they want to make change happen. -- Arun Maira * Author and Thought Leader, Former Chairman, BCG India * This is a unique book on corporate governance, coming up at an appropriate time in the history of corporate India. Every corporate leader, board member and scholar must read this book not only to meet the compliance requirements, but also to gain sustainable advantage in this disruptive digital world by shifting central principle of corporate governance from shareholders alone towards People-Planet-Profit. -- Dr B. A. Metri * Director, IIM Nagpur * This unique book has amply demonstrated that effective governance is the lifeline of any organization to outcompete and increase their longevity. Dr Singh's vast and diverse experience in the arena of leadership and boardroom governance is unrivalled. He along with the co-authors provides valuable insights and analyses of boardroom functioning from the lens of organization performance. This book is a must-read for all the stakeholders involved in the governance of the organizations. -- P. Dwarakanath * Former Chairman, GSK India * The book, Role of Boards: Building Sustainable Competitive Edge is an outstanding work of immense importance to understanding the effectiveness of corporate governance and institutional sustainability. The issues of ethics, sustainability and governance, which are at the heart of the functioning of corporate boards, have been examined in this outstanding book in the most comprehensive and compelling manner. The authors, Dr Pritam Singh, Dr Asha Bhandarker and Dr Subir Verma, have provided a passionate tour de force on the future of corporate boards and how they can be made more ethical, effective, competitive and indeed sustainable. This work has to be made compulsory reading for all students of management but more importantly, it is a valuable work for everybody who is working and leading in all organizations and institutions. Congratulations to the authors for producing a fantastic book that will have a longer shelf life for what it has examined and enunciated in a thorough and threadbare manner. -- Professor (Dr) C. Raj Kumar * Founding Vice Chancellor, O.P. Jindal Global University * Corporate governance and the role of boards are often the object of heated debates most of the time as a result of wrongdoings or strategic mistakes that the boards were unable to manage. This book authored by Dr Pritam Singh and team not only frames the key issues but, most importantly, offers practical and tangible ways to make the role of boards much more effective in steering the strategy of an organization to build a sustainable competitive edge. Even though most of the research is based on evidence from India, I believe that the recommendations are truly boundaryless. The book is a must-read for not only current board members but also for everyone who will be playing leadership roles in organizations as well as students of management and commerce. -- Davide Sola * Professor of Strategy and Management, ESCP Business School, London * I read the book Role of Boards: Building Sustainable Competitive Edge with great interest. In the current context, it is very relevant and highlights the role of the board in the development and future of a corporate entity. The authors did an excellent job in bringing out the role of the board. I personally feel that this book should not only be an integral part of an MBA programme but also should be read by all board members and all those who aspire to join the board. It is full of practical examples and personal experiences. I would like to congratulate the authors for this excellent contribution. -- Jyoti Gupta * Professor Emeritus, ESCP Business School, Paris, France * This book truly has a profound meaning for shaping an Atmanirbhar Bharat when the Indian economy will grow towards becoming the third largest economy of the world, with good governance in the management as well as the boards of all the companies. With his deep experience, Dr Pritam Singh has brought many key learnings and insights for all managers and directors to inculcate these best practices in their day-to-day working. I'm sure that the book will significantly lift governance quality in India and have a positive impact on business success in the future. -- Manoj Kohli * Country Head, Softbank India, Softbank Group International * Boards have a key role to play in steering organizations towards a sustainable future by adopting sound ethical governance and financial management policies. Their role assumes more significance at this watershed moment of global disruption and potential change in the world order. The book by Dr Pritam Singh, Asha Bhandarker and Dr Subir Verma has been timely and is about organizational competitiveness and the key roles that boards can play to make Indian organizations more sustainable and competitive. It adopts a unique approach of examining boardroom functioning from the lens of organizational performance. One rarely comes across such a comprehensive account on behavioural approach to boardroom governance. The book is a monumental exercise and the amount of empirical work involved in gathering views and experiences of board members is impressive. It is a good read and is recommended for its excellent coverage, thorough research and rich insights on the subject. I am sure that it will be of use to not only boards and top teams but also corporate India to meet the objective of building organizational resilience and sustainability. -- Mallikarjuna Rao * MD, Punjab National Bank * This book is one of the most outstanding works and a commendably successful attempt in exploring and providing deep insights into the functioning of corporate boards in the Indian context. It carries the clear imprint of the great thought leader and management guru, Dr Pritam Singh, in saying what needs to be said and in suggesting what is needed to make India reach the top. The book rightly recognizes that most of the Indian companies suboptimize their potential due to their short-sighted approach for quick gains, rather than taking a long-term view for attaining sustainable growth. It is a must-read for all corporate leaders, board members and students of commerce and business. -- R. V. Shahi * Former Power Secretary, Government of India *

This book is one of the most outstanding works and a commendably successful attempt in exploring and providing deep insights into the functioning of corporate boards in the Indian context. It carries the clear imprint of the great thought leader and management guru, Dr Pritam Singh, in saying what needs to be said and in suggesting what is needed to make India reach the top. The book rightly recognizes that most of the Indian companies suboptimize their potential due to their short-sighted approach for quick gains, rather than taking a long-term view for attaining sustainable growth. It is a must-read for all corporate leaders, board members and students of commerce and business. -- R. V. Shahi * Former Power Secretary, Government of India * Boards have a key role to play in steering organizations towards a sustainable future by adopting sound ethical governance and financial management policies. Their role assumes more significance at this watershed moment of global disruption and potential change in the world order. The book by Dr Pritam Singh, Asha Bhandarker and Dr Subir Verma has been timely and is about organizational competitiveness and the key roles that boards can play to make Indian organizations more sustainable and competitive. It adopts a unique approach of examining boardroom functioning from the lens of organizational performance. One rarely comes across such a comprehensive account on behavioural approach to boardroom governance. The book is a monumental exercise and the amount of empirical work involved in gathering views and experiences of board members is impressive. It is a good read and is recommended for its excellent coverage, thorough research and rich insights on the subject. I am sure that it will be of use to not only boards and top teams but also corporate India to meet the objective of building organizational resilience and sustainability. -- Mallikarjuna Rao * MD, Punjab National Bank * This book truly has a profound meaning for shaping an Atmanirbhar Bharat when the Indian economy will grow towards becoming the third largest economy of the world, with good governance in the management as well as the boards of all the companies. With his deep experience, Dr Pritam Singh has brought many key learnings and insights for all managers and directors to inculcate these best practices in their day-to-day working. I'm sure that the book will significantly lift governance quality in India and have a positive impact on business success in the future. -- Manoj Kohli * Country Head, Softbank India, Softbank Group International * I read the book Role of Boards: Building Sustainable Competitive Edge with great interest. In the current context, it is very relevant and highlights the role of the board in the development and future of a corporate entity. The authors did an excellent job in bringing out the role of the board. I personally feel that this book should not only be an integral part of an MBA programme but also should be read by all board members and all those who aspire to join the board. It is full of practical examples and personal experiences. I would like to congratulate the authors for this excellent contribution. -- Jyoti Gupta * Professor Emeritus, ESCP Business School, Paris, France * Corporate governance and the role of boards are often the object of heated debates most of the time as a result of wrongdoings or strategic mistakes that the boards were unable to manage. This book authored by Dr Pritam Singh and team not only frames the key issues but, most importantly, offers practical and tangible ways to make the role of boards much more effective in steering the strategy of an organization to build a sustainable competitive edge. Even though most of the research is based on evidence from India, I believe that the recommendations are truly boundaryless. The book is a must-read for not only current board members but also for everyone who will be playing leadership roles in organizations as well as students of management and commerce. -- Davide Sola * Professor of Strategy and Management, ESCP Business School, London * The book, Role of Boards: Building Sustainable Competitive Edge is an outstanding work of immense importance to understanding the effectiveness of corporate governance and institutional sustainability. The issues of ethics, sustainability and governance, which are at the heart of the functioning of corporate boards, have been examined in this outstanding book in the most comprehensive and compelling manner. The authors, Dr Pritam Singh, Dr Asha Bhandarker and Dr Subir Verma, have provided a passionate tour de force on the future of corporate boards and how they can be made more ethical, effective, competitive and indeed sustainable. This work has to be made compulsory reading for all students of management but more importantly, it is a valuable work for everybody who is working and leading in all organizations and institutions. Congratulations to the authors for producing a fantastic book that will have a longer shelf life for what it has examined and enunciated in a thorough and threadbare manner. -- Professor (Dr) C. Raj Kumar * Founding Vice Chancellor, O.P. Jindal Global University * This unique book has amply demonstrated that effective governance is the lifeline of any organization to outcompete and increase their longevity. Dr Singh's vast and diverse experience in the arena of leadership and boardroom governance is unrivalled. He along with the co-authors provides valuable insights and analyses of boardroom functioning from the lens of organization performance. This book is a must-read for all the stakeholders involved in the governance of the organizations. -- P. Dwarakanath * Former Chairman, GSK India * This is a unique book on corporate governance, coming up at an appropriate time in the history of corporate India. Every corporate leader, board member and scholar must read this book not only to meet the compliance requirements, but also to gain sustainable advantage in this disruptive digital world by shifting central principle of corporate governance from shareholders alone towards People-Planet-Profit. -- Dr B. A. Metri * Director, IIM Nagpur * Role of Boards: Building Sustainable Competitive Edge by Pritam Singh, Asha Bhandarker and Subir Verma describes the blueprint of a corporation and its board. It explains where the load-bearing pillars are and the layout of the essential pipes and wires that all board members must know to manage a corporation effectively. A leader is the one who takes the first step towards something she or he deeply cares about and in ways that others wish to follow. This blueprint is also useful for those inspired to lead a movement of change in corporate conduct, to make the world better for everyone and who want to break out of the prevalent corporate management paradigm. They must read this book, not because they want to be better board directors, but because they want to make change happen. -- Arun Maira * Author and Thought Leader, Former Chairman, BCG India * This book is an instant classic that will be read and consulted by all CEOs, corporate board members and regulators, and those who seek to become one, for years to come. The book has brought out, with remarkable ease and candour, compelling anecdotes and insider's insights, empirical research and conceptual analysis, the issues and challenges of boardroom functioning and performance. Good governance is going to become a competitive advantage of business in future. The book provides the foundation and road map for good governance necessary for sustained corporate success. It is a must-read for all leaders and boards of organizations as well as future leaders and students. -- S. Y. Siddiqui * Executive Advisor, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd * The uniqueness of this outstanding book is that it looks at board effectiveness and value addition through the lens of individual behaviour and group dynamics, rather than through the usual legal or financial approach. It is an excellent blend of state-of-theart theory and practice which demystifies board governance through evidence-based research and practical recommendations. The book also highlights the critical role of purpose, values and mindsets in determining the focus and strategic decision-making processes of the board. It is a must-read treasure house for those connected with boards, especially in the Indian context. -- Rajeev Dubey * Principal Advisor, Mahindra and Mahindra * This is a terrific book which will undoubtedly add to the authors' reputation as talented analysts of the role of boards in steering corporations along sustainable paths. The book is cunningly well written, sassy even, besides being very perceptive and timely. It should prove most enlightening, particularly in regions of the world where we cannot afford to waste more time or people. -- Alfredo Behrens * Professor of Cross-cultural Leadership, University of Salamanca, Spain, and FIA Business School, Brazil *

Author Information

Pritam Singh is currently the CEO of LEAD Centre in Gurgaon. Dr Singh is a thought leader with extraordinary insight. Dr Singh is the author of seven critically acclaimed books, three of which are award winning. He has also published over 60 research papers in various national and international journals. He is a globally sought-after speaker and has addressed various Indian and global audiences, including Chambers of Commerce in various countries, notably, Holland, France, Germany, Greece, Russia, UK, USA, Thailand, Mauritius, Egypt, etc. As an academic administrator, Dr Singh has an unparalleled record. With his entrepreneurial vision and path-breaking innovative methods, Dr Singh turned around the fortunes of both MDI-Gurgaon (where he was the director from 1994 to 1998 and from 2003 to 2006) and IIM Lucknow (1998–2003). He steered International Management Institute (IMI) for a period of three years until October 2014, and during this period IMI improved tremendously in reputation and ranking. Quite fittingly, therefore, he earned the repute of Midas Touch Director. As the Chairman and member of several policy-making committees and bodies of the Government of India, he has stamped his perspective on policy issues that surround both management education and corporate management in India. He is currently on the Board of 10 reputed private- and public-sector organizations, helping them initiate the change process and charter a winning corporate strategy. He has been conferred the prestigious ‘Padma Shri’—a first in the field of management education. He has also been the recipient of several other prestigious awards, the most notable among them being the ‘Global Thought Leader’ 2006–2007 by MIRBIS (the Russian School of Business in Moscow), where he was the first Asian to be thus awarded. Thinkers50 India ranked him 27 out of 50 Indian Thinkers (both in India and globally) in 2014. Asha Bhandarker is well known in the field of HR and Leadership Studies in India as a scholar, consultant and researcher. Prior to her current assignment as a Distinguished Professor OB at IMI-Delhi, she was the Raman Munjal Chair Professor of Leadership Studies as well as Dean Research and Consulting at MDI-Gurgaon. She has published 7 books and 40 research papers and cases in peer-reviewed, national and international journals. She was awarded the highly coveted Senior Fulbright Fellowship for research in the United States, where she studied the best business schools and their practices and pedagogies. In addition, she has, over the years, received the Best Paper award, Best Case award and the Best Teacher award. Over the last 28 years, she has worked closely with the corporate sector in the areas of training, organization development and capability building. She is one of a handful of professors working with board levels and top management teams of many organizations. She is a recognized HR expert and has been invited on many boardlevel HR committees. Dr Bhandarker is actively associated with professional bodies and has addressed participants of national and international conferences. She has widely travelled across the USA, Europe and Asia and has rich experience of teaching and consulting in India and abroad. Subir Verma is Fellow (PhD) from IIM, Ahmedabad and M.A. (Gold Medalist) and M.Phil in Political Science from Delhi University. He has more than 16 years of teaching experience and has been a visiting faculty at ESCP-Europe, Paris. He was earlier the Chairman of the flagship MBA program, Chairman of the Corporate Relations and Placements Committee, and Chairman of the EQUIS Accreditation at MDI. Professor Verma has consulted with top MNCs in India on their Organization Design, Change Management, and Leadership Development. He has also designed and delivered numerous workshops, both in class and outbound-based experiential learning, on leadership, teamwork, managerial effectiveness, and negotiation skills for the middle and senior level of management of several reputed public and private sector organizations. Professor Verma has edited two books, viz. Organizing and Managing in the Era of Globalization (along with Pritam Singh, 2009) and Creating Boundaryless HR (2009), and published several articles in reputed national and international journals. His forthcoming book on M.K. Gandhi: An Epitome of Leadership is slated for publication next year. At present, he is engaged in carrying out the AICTE funded research on “Identification and Benchmarking of Best Practices in Organizing and Managing in Corporate India.” Professor Verma has presented his research papers in several prestigious international conferences such as of the Academy of Management, World Congress of Sociology, Asia Pacific Researchers in Organization Studies, International Human Resource Management, and the European Group of Organization Studies. Professor Verma is a recipient of numerous awards and honors, some of which are the Dr Karan Singh Gold Medal, Professor C.J. Chacko Prize, UGC Fellowship, Club Internationale (Paris) Fellowship, and the AICTE Research Grant. He is on the editorial board of the International Strategic Management Journal. He is a Board Member of the Asia Pacific Researchers on Organization Studies and Member of the American Academy of Management, International Sociological Association, and the National HRD Network.

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