Age diversity is an important factor to achieving diversity of thought. That’s how 91 percent of directors responded in our 2017 Annual Corporate Directors Survey. They even rated age diversity higher than any other element of diversity, including gender and race. However, we noticed that more than half (52%) of directors said they have age diversity on their board and don’t need any more of it. Herein lies the disconnect: Our definition of age diversity differs from that of most directors.
So what does age diversity mean to corporate directors? Maybe it means their board has directors who are in their 50s, 60s and 70s. Or perhaps they have one director who is 55 and one who is 80. With an average age of 63 for independent directors on S&P 500 boards (and going up), what it likely means is that they don’t have many directors who are 50 or younger. In fact, there are more directors aged 75 or older in S&P 500 boardrooms than there are 50 or under, according to our new research paper, Board composition: Consider the value of younger directors on your board. That figure demonstrates that there really isn’t a broad definition of age diversity.
To find out more about age diversity on US public company boards, we analyzed the population of directors aged 50 or under serving on boards of S&P 500 companies as of the end of 2017. We wanted to see who these directors are and what their board service looks like. What we found out is that there really aren’t many of them at all: According to our analysis of BoardEx data, directors aged 50 or under make up only 6 percent of the seats on S&P 500 company boards.
What does this mean for your board? First, if it hasn’t already, your board should consider age diversity and determine what it means for your company. Second, you might consider adding a younger director or two to the board. Most younger directors (96%) have active jobs or roles, so they can bring critical workforce skills and know-how back to the boardroom. They are more likely to have hands-on experience with newer technologies like artificial intelligence or the internet of things, technologies that companies are investing in and adopting to get ahead and stay competitive. And, in many cases, younger directors are closer to the consumers that their companies are targeting. They’re also closer to millennials, whose spending habits and workplace expectations are turning traditional marketing and human resources processes and plans on their heads.
We know that board composition and refreshment is a hot topic today, and the topic of age diversity is a good conversation for boards to have. Though there’s not one accepted dictionary definition of what age diversity is, boards may also want to develop an agreed-upon understanding about what it means to their board—and why all aspects of diversity make for healthy board discussions and better board performance.
One of the most interesting data points that came out of our new report details how companies made room for younger directors. For 62 percent of the S&P 500 board seats held by independent directors 50 and under, companies increased their board size to accommodate them. The board did not wait for traditional succession planning tools to play out, such as a director leaving the board due to retirement or term limits. Increasing board size to bring younger directors on as soon as possible indicates a real desire for and appreciation of the value those individuals would bring to the boardroom. That alone should tell you that age diversity is something to consider for your board.
Each of us can look back and be baffled by how much change is possible in a short amount of time. Remember landlines? Flip phones? How about the BlackBerry? It’s human nature to be resistant to change: boards and corporate directors are no different. Maintaining the status quo is more comfortable than change. Especially because leading the change requires a straightforward vision, strong leadership, and clear communication. In the words of the cartoon Dilbert: “Change is good, you go first.”
But change is necessary for company growth and success. And the National Association of Corporate Directors is one organization that not only talks about change but gives board members and leaders the tools to help boards model and implement change. At NACD’s Global Board Leadership Summit this fall, we’ll discuss how we as board directors can embrace our leadership role, set a positive example, and encourage change.
Oversight Is No Longer Enough
Emerging technologies and new customer demands are now constant threats to established products and business models. These threats affect sustainable and profitable growth, but boards can counter these issues by continuously helping management to evolve their business models, investments, and skill sets.
Expectations of capitalism and acceptable corporate behaviors are also changing, forcing a better balance of achieving profits and having a positive societal impact. A good example is a company’s focus on reducing its environmental footprint. This means that we are now seeing the focus on shareholders shift to include all stakeholders, such as employees, suppliers, customers, and communities.
All this is part of taking an active role in creating the optimal organizational mission and culture. Changing our behavior, processes, and interactions from oversight and support to an active leadership model is crucial to ensure success in our evolving world.
Leading Change Is Necessary
External pressures, rapidly changing governance requirements, and differing stakeholder expectations are all good reasons to call for change.
Failure to change may jeopardize not only a company’s performance, but also its very survival. Poor performance impacts everyone, but proper board and director performance can create a competitive advantage that increases value for all stakeholders. Stagnation is the enemy and change will keep your organization sustainable and on the lookout to avoid pitfalls.
Necessary Board Components for Success
When I look back over my career as a board member, these four pieces are critical to effectively lead and enact change:
Boards need to be comprised of directors who understand and have effectively led change management;
A board’s culture of embracing change should be a model for the entire company;
Board information and processes need to align with and support the new culture to achieve its goals; and
A board’s composition should reflect and support its new evolving culture and behavioral design.
Key Takeaways to Remember
To start leading change in your boardroom, define and describethe mission, values, and culture that you want your company to embody. Boards should assess what the organization needs to retain and what aspects would be most beneficial to change.
Build off of the strengthsin your company and initiate change management plans to achieve your new vision. This includes evaluating the current board composition, leadership and processes and taking action to make changes in a timely manner. Once initial changes have been made, continually assess progress towards your vision and course correct as needed. Don’t be afraid of needing to shift direction in the future.
If there’s one constant, it’s that change will always continue. It never stops. Change impacts all of us, and for boards and company leadership to be successful, effective change management should be a required element in the makeup of every board.
Like our cartoon friend Dilbert challenges us, are you ready to go first, lead, and create an inspiring vision for sustainable value creation for your constituencies? I’m looking forward to discussing change, the ever evolving transformation of our world and more at the 2018 Global Board Leaders’ Summit September 29 through October 2 in Washington, DC. Register now and join me there.
Martin Coyne is a director of EyeNuk. Coyne is the chair and founder of the CEO Learning Network and he is the chair emeritus of the National Association of Corporate Directors’ New Jersey Chapter.
Some claim that seven million jobs will be lost, and more than half of jobs will be replaced. Others claim that 2.3 million jobs will be created, exceeding the 1.8 million that it will removed. These are just some of the forecasts pundits are making about the impact artificial intelligence (AI), automation, robotics, and more will have on jobs and the changing nature of work in the United States.
When taken together with many other forecasts, there is really only one conclusion. We really don’t know what the impact will be. What we do know is this: change is happening and it’s happening fast. And beware, we humans tend to underestimate the amount of change that will happen in the next 5 years. Don’t get caught. One of the single biggest questions the board needs to be asking of their CEOs is, “Is our workforce strategy built for the future of work?”
Despite all of the rhetoric about advanced and emerging technologies creating massive job losses, our economy will continue to function as the “human operating system” that will power organizations of all sizes. The most adept leaders will recognize advanced technologies as opportunities to unlock the full potential of humans rather than considering those technologies as simply a way to replace jobs and reduce costs. Our capacity for curiosity, customer devotion, empathy, problem-solving, relationship building, and more will be difficult to replace.
Technology, automation, robotics, AI, side-by-side with the human operating system, is the new currency in a workforce prepared for the future of work. Importantly, 62 percent of organizations rate themselves as ineffective at this type of workforce planning.
Board members in companies of all sizes should be asking, therefore, the following questions of the C-Suite.
What should our workforce look like in five and 10 years, and what is our plan to achieve that end state? So far, only one in five human resources leaders have begun implementing strategies to develop their workforce for tomorrow. While this figure is surprisingly low given the urgency with which company leaders need to act, it’s these leaders who are positioning their companies ahead of the curve and widening their competitive moat against those who choose to delay or take no action at all.
What are the external trends defining the future of work that we are harnessing for success? Which ones could prevent us from delivering on our goals? Mercer’s 2018 Global Talent Trends report is a good starting point to learn more.
Is the leadership team and workforce ready for the speed of change required to win? Only 18 percent of C-Suite leaders describe their organization as agile enough today to succeed through change.
Should we be measuring the long-term health of our company differently than just earnings or stock price given the changing nature of work? What are we doing to develop and retain talent? Does our mission statement reflect the need for customer devotion and a purpose-driven culture? How are we measuring whether or not we are delivering on our mission?
What are we doing to upskill and reskill our workforce to improve their digital literacy? Only 15 percent of company leaders consider themselves leaders a digital organization, with 53 percent reporting they have not yet begun their journey or have a long way to go. That makes it even more surprising that only 15 percent of C-Suite leaders believe that upskilling and reskilling employees for new and changed roles, driven by digital and technology, will make a sizable difference to business performance.
Today’s board members and leaders can’t afford to wait any longer. The technology innovation curve is a hockey stick and many believe we are about to hit the elbow as AI and other technology capabilities begin to approach and surpass human intelligence. Those leaders who embrace the pace with urgency will set themselves up for accelerating growth while those who don’t will find that the notion of being able to catch up has vanished.
No business is immune, and how the workforce will morph and adjust needs to be at the center of gravity in all board room discussions. Think about these facts from the World Economic Forum:
35 percent of the core skills of today could change by 2020
65 percent of the jobs our own children in elementary school will be doing in the future do not yet exist
These are just a couple of data points that capture the significant change ahead. Are you ready? If you believe your C-Suite is behind in developing a workforce strategy to compete in the digital age, now is the time to leap forward. If you believe they are ahead, it’s time to invest in accelerating their march.
Brian Baker is a Partner in Mercer’s New York office and the US Digital Workforce Leader. He is focused on helping business leaders determine and build their Workforce for the Future strategy and execution plans.
