The Board Room for the Future
The boardroom of the future will be a place that is designed to improve health and well-being for its members. It should also be an environment that supports the use of digital technology for more efficient and effective meetings.
Meeting room furniture, for instance, must be able to accommodate many people to participate in the same meeting without sacrificing privacy or efficiency. The space must have the most modern acoustic design and a high-quality sound system that guarantees that participants in person and online can be heard clearly. The space should also be able to include natural light to help reduce eye strain and headaches during meetings. According to the findings of a recent Harvard Business Review study, access to natural lighting is the number one desired office benefit, far ahead of more conventional and predictable options such as onsite cafeterias and fitness centers.
Other technological innovations that could prove beneficial in the boardroom include real-time analytics, “living” management information using the concepts of infographics and dashboards a step further and crowdsourcing technology that could provide an external view of the perspective of stakeholders. These tools can help boards better evaluate risks and create a stronger basis for decision-making.
In the near future the boardroom will require more sustainability experts. Board members will need to be aware of the impact business activities have on the environment as well as climate change, biodiversity and human rights. It is also about including new skills like the ability to evaluate the impact of ESG issues on www.boardroomchallenge.com long-term financial outcomes.