
Why leaders should learn to value the boundary spanners
Entrepreneurial talent who work with other teams often run into trouble with their managers. Here are ways to get the most out of your ‘boundary spanners’...
by Jennifer Jordan, Alexander Fleischmann Published March 27, 2025 in Brain Circuits • 3 min read • Audio available
A new law, The Gender Balance on Corporate Boards Directive, requires large listed companies in the EU to appoint members of the underrepresented gender (usually women) to 33% of all director roles and 40% of non-executive director roles by June 2026. Consider the following questions to see if you’re ready to make the change.
a. Through a positive selection process that excludes men.
b. By using external auditors.
c. By relaxing the job spec.
a. Through focusing solely on unconscious bias training.
b. By blaming people for behavior that shows unfair bias.
c. By using metrics to analyze the stats regarding promotion and adapting processes accordingly.
a. Look for board candidates with non-traditional backgrounds.
b. Provide financial education and training for women.
c. Just do nothing and wait, gender equality will happen naturally.
a. Assess them on their record of promoting women.
b. Draw up explicit KPIs for them.
c. Devise informal ways to signal you’re serious about this.
1 (b). Appointing external auditors tasked with ensuring diversity of candidates to review lists for executive roles increases transparency and accountability. It ensures that women are considered for roles conducive to progression to the board.
2 (c). Enshrining robust formal criteria for promotion and appointment to key roles works best. Without objective standards, women are likely to be disadvantaged by unfair biases. While unconscious bias training is used widely today, research shows it doesn’t work in bringing about less biased, more lasting behavior change compared with goal setting and putting the focus on the system as opposed to the individual. Highlighting undesirable behavior – in other words, shaming individuals – only causes resentment and will backfire.
3 (a and b). Women in senior management tend to be drawn from HR and communication roles. These are traditionally not seen as bringing boardroom-relevant experience – but in turbulent times, non-traditional backgrounds can bring new perspectives to boards. Still, financial literacy is key to be seen as equal on boards. Hence, greater financial education for women will help smooth their path to progress and benefit the company in reputational terms when your leaders sit on the boards of other organizations.
4 (a, b, and c). Leaders and managers at all levels should be held formally responsible for gender equality in their promotional practices. Informally signaling you are serious about meeting the targets will help, but setting explicit KPIs will hold people accountable for their actions – and speed change faster than declarations of good intent.
Action to address gender imbalance in the boardrooms of large EU companies has largely been left to the initiative of such organizations. As of June 2025, addressing the imbalance will be required by law. Eradicating the barriers to progress now will ensure you fulfill the requirements progressively and productively without having to resort to panic solutions down the line.
Social psychologist and Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behaviour at IMD
Jennifer Jordan is a social psychologist and Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at IMD. Jennifer’s teaching, research, and consulting focus on the areas of digital leadership, ethics, influence, and power. She has received specialized training and certifications in lie and truthfulness detection, as well as in conflict resolution within organizations. She is Program Director of the Women on Boards and the Leadership Essentials program, and co-Director of the Leading Digital Execution program.
Equity, Inclusion and Diversity Research Affiliate
Alexander received his PhD in organization studies from WU Vienna University of Economics and Business researching diversity in alternative organizations. His research focuses on inclusion and how it is measured, inclusive language and images, ableism and LGBTQ+ at work as well as possibilities to organize solidarity. His work has appeared in, amongst others, Organization; Work, Employment and Society; Journal of Management and Organization and Gender in Management: An International Journal.
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