Behavioural Governance: Why Good Boards Make Bad Decisions

Introduction

Corporate failures are rarely caused solely by a lack of legal compliance or technical expertise. More often, they arise because boards make poor decisions despite having experienced directors, good information and well-established governance processes.

Behavioural governance examines the psychological and organisational factors that influence boardroom decision-making and explores why even effective boards can overlook risks, suppress challenge or persist with failing strategies.

This practical session explores the behavioural biases that affect boards and committees, including cognitive bias, groupthink, confirmation bias, escalation of commitment and overconfidence. Using real-world examples and governance scenarios, delegates will learn practical techniques to strengthen board challenge, improve decision-making and foster a healthier governance culture.

What You Will Learn

This webinar will cover the following:

• Understanding behavioural governance
• Common cognitive biases in the boardroom
• Ethical blind spots and board culture
• Improving board decision-making
• The principles of behavioural governance and its impact on board effectiveness
• How cognitive biases influence board decision-making, including groupthink, confirmation bias, escalation of commitment and overconfidence
• The role of culture, ethics and psychological safety in encouraging constructive challenge
• Practical techniques to improve board discussions, decision-making and independent thinking
• How to embed behavioural governance into board evaluations and governance frameworks
• Key questions boards should ask to strengthen oversight and challenge