Boards of directors and corporate resilience
The role of boards of directors is evolving. From governance and compliance, they are now tasked with fostering resilience to manage uncertainties and disruptions. This involves not only risk management, but also strategic adaptability and organizational agility.
The importance of resilience for the success of companies
Resilience in a corporate context refers to an organization’s ability to anticipate, prepare for, respond to, and adapt to incremental changes and sudden disruptions. It is a multidimensional concept that includes operational, strategic, financial and reputational aspects.
Boards play a critical role in embedding resilience into the company’s DNA by ensuring robust governance frameworks, fostering a culture of agility and overseeing the implementation of resilience strategies.
Effective governance is the foundation of resilience. Boards must establish clear governance frameworks that outline roles, responsibilities and risk management and decision-making processes.
This includes the establishment of committees dedicated to resilience, such as risk, audit and crisis management committees. These committees should periodically review and update the company’s risk appetite, ensuring that it aligns with the ever-evolving external environment.
Priorities on the agenda of boards of directors
Strategic adaptability
Boards must ensure that the company’s strategy is adaptable and responsive to change. This involves continuously scanning the external environment to identify emerging trends, opportunities and threats. Scenario planning and stress testing are important tools that boards can use to assess the impact of different scenarios on the company’s strategy and operations. Thus, boards can guide management in adjusting strategy to maintain competitive advantage and operational continuity.
Organizational agility
Organizational agility is a key component of resilience. Boards should foster a culture that values flexibility, innovation and continuous improvement. This includes cultivating a learning mindset, encouraging experimentation and supporting cross-functional collaboration. Boards should also oversee the development of agile processes and structures that allow the company to respond quickly to change. This could involve adopting agile methodologies in project management, simplifying decision-making processes and using technology to increase operational efficiency.
Risk management
A proactive approach to risk management is essential for resilience. Boards must ensure that the company has a comprehensive risk management framework that identifies, assesses and mitigates risks. This includes both traditional risks, such as financial and operational risks, as well as emerging risks, such as cyber threats and climate change. Boards should regularly review risk reports and ensure that management is taking appropriate steps to mitigate risks.
Crisis management
Councils play a crucial role in crisis management. They must ensure the company has a robust crisis management plan that includes clear communication protocols, roles and responsibilities. During a crisis, boards should provide guidance and support to management, ensuring that the company responds effectively and maintaining the trust of stakeholders. Post-crisis, boards should review the company’s response and identify lessons learned to improve resilience going forward.
Financial resilience
Financial resilience is a key aspect of overall resilience. Boards must ensure that the company maintains a strong balance sheet and has access to sufficient liquidity to weather disruptions. This includes overseeing capital allocation, maintaining healthy cash reserves and ensuring access to credit. Boards should also ensure that the company has a diversified revenue stream and is not overly dependent on a single market or customer.
Improving the capacities of the council
To effectively fulfill their role in fostering resilience, councils need to improve their own capacities. This includes ongoing education and training on emerging risks and resilience strategies. Boards also need to ensure diversity in their membership, bringing different perspectives and expertise. Periodic board reviews and feedback can help identify areas for improvement and ensure the board remains effective in its oversight role.
In conclusion
The role of boards in fostering resilience is multidimensional and critical to the long-term success of companies. By building resilience into governance frameworks, promoting strategic adaptability, ensuring organizational agility and overseeing comprehensive risk and crisis management strategies, boards can help companies manage uncertainty and disruption.
Improving financial and reputational resilience further strengthens the company’s ability to thrive in today’s dynamic business environment. Boards must continually improve their capabilities to effectively guide companies through the complexities of today’s economic environment.
Florentina Șușnea este Managing Partner în cadrul companiei PKF Finconta. Experiența ei profesională de peste 26 de ani cuprinde domeniile de audit statutar și IFRS, consultanță fiscală, probleme de rezidență fiscală, restructurare financiară și fiscală, documentație și politici de Transfer Pricing, fuziuni și divizări, M&A, expertize judiciare, contabile și fiscale, due diligence de achiziții. Florentina este membru acreditat al următoarelor organizații profesionale: Camera Consultantilor Fiscali, Camera Auditorilor Financiari din România, Camera Expertilor și Contabililor Autorizați din România si Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists. A absolvit Facultatea Finanțe-Contabilitate din cadrul Academiei de Studii Economice, București, Facultatea de Drept din cadrul Universității ”Titu Maiorescu”, programul MBA de la Tiffin University din SUA, este doctor în economie și a urmat numeroase cursuri naționale și internaționale în domeniul fiscal. florentina.susnea@pkffinconta.ro
