Board task performance in small owner-managed companies - Exploring a construct through three case studies.
Author
Summary, in English
It is far from evident that small owner-managed companies can use the capacity of a board of directors. A well known construct of board task performance is expressed in the activities of control, strategy making, and service (C-SM-S construct). The aim is to explore the construct, which has been derived from studies on large and medium-sized companies, in a new setting.
The analysis of three case studies shows some misfits between the C-SM-S construct and sheds new light on the construct. For small companies, the existence of a board is not self-evident but determined by internal or external pressures. The board process seems to be incremental. Agency control is replaced by company control.The board’s task in strategy-making seems to be to direct the owners’ attention to the long-range view. The service task seems to be the most obvious for the board. Hypotheses for further research are suggested.
The analysis of three case studies shows some misfits between the C-SM-S construct and sheds new light on the construct. For small companies, the existence of a board is not self-evident but determined by internal or external pressures. The board process seems to be incremental. Agency control is replaced by company control.The board’s task in strategy-making seems to be to direct the owners’ attention to the long-range view. The service task seems to be the most obvious for the board. Hypotheses for further research are suggested.
Department/s
Publishing year
2009
Language
English
Document type
Working paper
Topic
- Business Administration
Status
Submitted