The challenge

Members of the board felt they were struggling to work collectively and make decisions as a group. The management board wanted to set the tone of the company from the top, by emphasising the importance of leadership self-awareness and development, while also improving the dynamic of the team.

The solution

To achieve this, Peridot Shore implemented an in-depth diagnostic approach for each Board Member. We applied several scientific processes to assess and develop both individual and team capabilities:

  • Hogan assessment: This personality assessment tool provided insights into each board member’s leadership style, highlighting strengths, potential derailers, and motivators. This gave a deeper insight into how individual personalities influenced decision-making and team dynamics.
  • Holistic interviews: One-on-one interviews provided a qualitative perspective, enabling board members to share insights into their experiences, challenges, and aspirations. The interviews gave further context alongside more quantitative data from other assessments.
  • Knowledge exercises and 360-degree feedback: We assessed each leader’s problem-solving approaches, industry knowledge, and strategic thinking capabilities. The 360-degree feedback involved stakeholder interviews that gathered diverse perspectives on each board member’s impact, helping to build a well-rounded view of each leader’s influence across the organisation.
  • Intensive debriefings: After gathering the assessment data, board members were invited to participate in intensive debriefing sessions, during which they were given detailed reports which included their individual and team-level results. These sessions gave participants the opportunity to absorb and reflect on the information, helping them to identify their own  areas of personal development.

By aggregating the collected data, we were able to provide both individual and team insights. The exercises led to some revealing insights which we were able to shape into a narrative by measuring them against Patrick Lencioni’s Five dysfunctions of a team. The findings helped the board understand how they made decisions as a group, how they communicated company strategy, worked together, handled conflict, and demonstrated accountability for results. Board members also gained valuable insights into each other’s working styles and problem-solving approaches.

Key takeaways

This case study demonstrates the value of a structured, psychologically informed approach to improving board effectiveness. Key takeaways include:

  • Senior work better when they understand each other: A diagnostic process can help  board members to understand their own strengths, weaknesses, and preferred communication styles, as well as those of their colleagues. This can help reduce friction, improve collaboration, and create more positive working conditions.
  • Good leaders take responsibility: 360-degree feedback and psychometric assessments can find gaps in trust and accountability. Addressing these issues can  help create a more transparent and accountable leadership culture.
  • Insights can help companies course-correct: Gathering individual insights into a team-wide analysis can help leadership teams make strategic adjustments to address organisational challenges effectively and ensure they are aligned fully with the company’s strategic goals.