Boardroom Bullying

“It is immaterial whether I, the bystander, know the person in distress. The critical question is whether there is a vulnerable victim. If yes, then the bystander must act.” Amos N. Guiora in The Crime of Complicity.

Do not deceive yourself. Board room bullying is not a victimless crime. There are a number of victims in addition to the people who are being bullied.

  • For-profit board members who are complicit bystanders when bullies dominate the boardroom put shareholders, employees, and other stakeholders at risk.
  • Nonprofit board members who commit the crime of complicity put the mission, community, and the integrity, funding, and sustainability of the organization at risk.

When my friend Amos Guiora sent me an email this morning asking if I’d seen cases of boardroom bullying, my mind flooded with experiences. Amos is the author of “The Crime of Complicity: The Bystander in the Holocaust.” He focuses on the moral and legal implications in current society of the failure to take action to help others facing mortal threats. 

Unfortunately, there are an abundance of examples of the crime of complicity and bystanders throughout society today. There are also however examples of people who stand up to bullies. This is why so many of us are awed and inspired by the brave students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Their courageous struggle has even become a rallying call for multinational corporations to sign on to the students’ life-saving cause. Many are eager to join in by acknowledging and promoting companies that are standing up with the students and shaming the companies that have not (yet).

Bullying is a human dynamic that, like other behaviors, can infect boardrooms as well as any other group situation. Last week, in a course I taught to graduate business students on Sustainability and Corporate Governance, we spent an afternoon studying and discussing the classic movie, Twelve Angry Men in the context of boardroom behavior. Having used this movie for discussion purposes with many groups, including senior executives of multinational corporations worldwide, the discussion is never remotely the same. The insights and “aha” moments that emerge are as varied as they are profound.

With a clear understanding that boardroom discussions and decisions are not victimless, here are some insights that are inspired by personal experiences and those of others who have shared their stories with me.

  1. Listen. Listen as if lives depend on it. Because they do. This lesson was underscored in the interviews I conducted with business employees who serve on nonprofit boards for Better World Leadership. Dozens of these board members told me that they were humbled to be exposed to ideas and perspectives of fellow board members who have different work experiences, but whose diverse backgrounds and observations opened their eyes to new ways of seeing the world. Furthermore, the people I interviewed reported that they brought their new awareness and listening skills back to work.
  2. Call the mission. That is my favorite scene in Twelve Angry Men. When the immigrant who serves on the jury calls the mission. While the group is arguing fiercely, each with their own personal agendas clouding their judgement, this juror reminds them why they are there: to decide on the guilt or innocence of an eighteen year old Latino boy, whose life depends on their verdict since this is a death penalty case. When I facilitate board discussions, we always begin by calling the mission from the outset and at various intervals. This reminds everyone that their decisions have profound affects on the lives of others.
  3. Be brave. Be that board member who says “this is not okay” when you believe that. Even if that might make you the skunk at the garden party. We know of too many boards that failed to do the right thing thereby jeopardizing their companies and organizations. The new reckoning with regard to sexual harassment and assault is one recent demonstration of this phenomenon. We are seeing mighty and vital NGOs fall which is a loss to large swaths of humanity. We also see large companies fail due to the shortcomings of their boards; shareholders and employees suffer, among others.

In Twelve Angry Men, Henry Fonda plays the part of the solo juror who declines to raise his hand to the initial call for “guilty.” When confronted about his position, he merely points out that he doesn’t know, but that if he raises his hand—without having a serious discussion of the evidence—then he himself is putting the young man on trial to death. That his vote means something.

As board members, we must keep that in mind, lest we be complicit.

I am on a non-profit board. I am the only woman and I have recently had sexual slur against me by a board member as well as had threatening phone calls from the same member. It has been made known that I am not wanted on the board and that apparently this said board member has told others he will make me pay and make my life a misery. I have sent a letter to the chair who is not willing to help. I have no support. Please could you advise me what to do. Thank you

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Alice Korngold

Advisor. Speaker. Author. My 3rd book! “A Better World, Inc: Corp Governance for an Inclusive, Sustainable, & Prosperous Future."(2023) #CorpGov #DEI #Sustainability #ESG #SocialImpact #RacialEquity #GenderEquity

3y

Thank you for new “likes” on this article. It really seemed to resonate w people. #corpgov

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I always enjoy reading your post.

Rhonda Williams

Coordinating Instructor and Adjunct Professor, Queen's University -Graduate Diploma in Immigration and Citizenship Law (GDipICL); Course Developer GDipICL

6y

Having been a victim of board room bullying with a group of complicit bystander board members, this article hits home. Given that today is Pink Shirt Day in Canada, it is especially pertinent today. https://www.pinkshirtday.ca/ The bully on the board I served on is a self proclaimed bully. He came in with an agenda of his own and used extreme bullying behavior over a periof of months. I was one of his primary victims along with a few others. The rest of the board was complicit and at times supportive of the objectives, if not the method, of the bully. It was extremely disheartening and led to a number of resignations from the board at the time. I stayed on because the mission was more important to me, and I had the comfort of knowing my term was over in a few months. In the end, the bully was removed from the board by a very surprisingly narrow vote of the board. It was a critical time for our board and I am convinced that the ramifications are still being felt. The consequences are long lasting and much farther reaching than one might expect. I hated being a victim. I had a few staunch allies to stand up with, and I am grateful to them. It was very hard on us. I was shocked by the complicity of the other board members and their apparent lack of perception as to the bullying behavior even when it became directed at the entire board. The behavior also engendered bullying behavior from at least two other board members who mimicked the behavior. Again, shocking to me. Great topic for today! Thanks.

John Westland

Independent, objective and clear peer review, dispute resolution and expert witness services for underground projects.

6y

Bullying - an affliction that strikes at every level and age in our society. A very good encouragement for individuals to be prepared to stand strong and to stand alone.

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