Boardroom Conflict Resolution

Name: Boardroom Conflict Resolution
Rating: 5.0 (22 reviews)

How to Reframe Conflict to Become a Powerful Tool in the Boardroom

Created byPaul Dubal

Last updated 1/2026

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

To provide students with an understanding of why and how conflict can occur in the boardroom, and what it looks like.
Provide a comprehensive set of tools and strategies for managing and resolving conflict in a constructive way that enhances board cohesion and dynamics
How to address the problem of underperforming directors, often a significant cause of boardroom conflict
Examining the role and attributes of the various stakeholders, including the Chair and board secretary, to foster a collegiate boardroom environment.

Course content

12 sections • 40 lectures • 3h 24m total length

Module 1 - Welcome to The Course3:11
Transform boardroom conflict into a catalyst for better decision-making and robust governance. Learn practical strategies to resolve tensions, encourage respectful debate, and unlock innovation.
Module 2 - A Little Bit About Me3:51
Paul Dubal shares how emotional intelligence shapes boardroom leadership, conflict management, and governance, drawing on three decades of experience and evidence-based tools to help governance professionals navigate pressure.
Module 3 - What We Will Cover7:53
Transform boardroom conflict into stronger governance by implementing clear structures, psychological safety, and open dialogue, while applying practical case studies and resolution strategies.

Module 4 - What Conflict Is And Why It Is All Around Us6:39
Explore why conflict is common in boardrooms and how emotional intelligence—empathy, self-awareness, assertiveness—guides healthy, solution-focused resolutions that build trust and innovation.
Module 5 - What Does Your Board Look Like?3:38
Explore how board composition shapes oversight versus management and conflict resolution, and foster a collective mindset that channels debate into problem solving while avoiding entrenched positions and personal attacks.
Module 6 - Boardroom Conflict: When Things Go Wrong - Reflections From The Field7:27
Guard against hidden factions by fostering inclusion and transparency in board decisions. Elevate governance through ethics, respectful challenge, and emotionally intelligent leadership to shape culture.
Module 7 - The Important Role Of Tension In The Boardroom4:35
Explore how healthy tension in the boardroom fuels governance through robust debate, airing concerns, and open-minded collaboration, while addressing conflicts, miscommunication, and emotional intelligence for effective oversight.
Module 8 - Understanding The Sources Of Boardroom Conflict4:23
Identify the three overlapping sources of boardroom conflict—business issues, governance processes, and personal dynamics—and learn how conscious management balances strategy, oversight, and behavior.

Module 9 - Boardroom Structural Issues5:17
Identify four boardroom structural issues that undermine board effectiveness and organizational cohesion: inadequate board packs and information flows; ambiguous board mandates; unclear reporting lines; and weak deterrence for poor behavior.
Module 10 - Boardroom Behaviours9:04
Explore how toxic boardroom behaviors, passive aggression, and dominant leadership shape conflicts, decision making, governance, and emotional intelligence, and learn strategies to manage underperforming directors and nurture constructive dialogue.
Module 11 - How Can We Distinguish Between Healthy Tension And Toxic Friction3:54
Distinguish healthy tension from toxic friction in the boardroom to support governance. Embrace diverse perspectives, respectful disagreement, psychological safety, and constructive questioning for better decisions and risk awareness.

Module 12 - Putting The Right Systems In Place Role Of Management Vs. The Board3:07
Clarify the roles of management and the board to prevent negative boardroom conflict. Establish clear systems, scope, authorities, and reporting lines, with board and committee charters and annual reviews.
Module 13 - Establish Orderly Board Processes2:26
Establish orderly board processes by scheduling a rolling agenda and a two-year ahead calendar posted in the board portal, ensuring preparation time and clear roles for a well-informed debate.
Module 14 - The Importance Of The Board Agenda2:38
Emphasize a strategic, time-bound board agenda that prioritizes oversight over routine issues, and use consent agendas and in-camera sessions to empower non-executive directors.
Module 15 - Board Meeting Protocols3:29
Explore board meeting protocols, blending written processes with unwritten practices to shape board culture, agenda flow, consensus decisions, precise minutes, and potential dissent recording.
Module 16 - Ensure Proper Flow Of Information4:19
Ensure the proper flow of board information with concise executive summaries delivered at least seven days before meetings, highlighting salient issues and actionable recommendations for decision making.

Module 17 - Why Board Culture Matters3:52
Cultivate a healthy board culture that fosters diverse thinking, productive debates, and a culture of inquiry to energize members and improve decision making, while preventing groupthink.
Module 18 - Creating The Conditions For Constructive Conflict3:09
Foster psychological safety, respect, and open dialogue to make board conflict constructive, not personal. The chair models inclusivity, invites diverse views, and pauses to reflect before consensus.
Module 19 - What Can We Do To Create And Maintain An Effective Board Culture3:04
Recruit for fit with clear director needs, onboard effectively, and conduct open, forward-looking board evaluations to build an engaged, healthy board culture led by the chair.

Module 20 - Build Character And Behaviour Into The Board Evaluation Process4:17
Build character and behavior into the board evaluation by recruiting for character and cultural fit, defining boardroom expectations, and integrating emotional intelligence and soft skills into nominations and annual reviews.
Module 21 - Create The Systems For Improved Board Effectiveness2:48
Refocus the board agenda toward forward-looking activities like strategic planning, CEO and management succession planning, and risk oversight. Foster high EQ by strengthening leadership and clear feedback for all directors.

Module 22 - Managing Conflict5:22
Learn to manage boardroom conflict by recognizing toxic behaviours, addressing issues early, and guiding directors toward ground rules and win-win outcomes through open-ended questions, active listening, and calm leadership.
Module 23 - Resolving Conflict Outside The Boardroom2:47
Resolve boardroom conflict by building relationships outside the boardroom through informal activities like dinners and a board strategy retreat, enabling informal discussions and new perspectives.

Module 24 - What Does Underperformance Look Like?8:23
Identify and address director underperformance to strengthen board collaboration, accountability, and strategic oversight, by recognizing disengagement, poor preparation, and disruptive behavior.
Module 25 - Understanding Why Directors Underperform9:09
Module 26 - Improving Director Performance: Proactive, Practical Approaches7:49
Improve director performance through proactive approaches that empower the chair, foster feedback, and strengthen governance culture with ongoing education and strategic questioning.
Module 27 - When Improvement Fails: Managing Persistent Underperformance6:54
Address persistent underperformance through rigorous performance assessments, non-automatic re-nomination, and, when needed, principled exits aligned with the organisation's constitution or by-laws and term limits. Prefer voluntary resignations to removals.

Module 28 - The Chair - A Critical Role5:16
Module 29 - What To Look For From A Strong Chair3:15
Set clear ground rules for respectful debate and encourage open discussion, ensuring all directors' views are heard to build consensus and a coaching-based, accountable chair and CEO relationship.
Module 30 - Attributes For A Chair In Managing Conflict Effectively5:56
The chair uses diplomacy, clear communication, and gravitas to manage conflict with composure and emotional intelligence, translating perspectives and fostering a respectful, trustful board environment where healthy tension thrives.

Module 31 - Creating The Right Infrastructure3:49
Advance board health by building the right infrastructure: skills matrix, externally facilitated evaluations, onboarding, and meeting support led by the corporate secretary, with charter, code of conduct, and conflict checks.
Module 32 - Strategies To Resolve Conflict5:15
Empower the company secretary to signal tension and mediate board disputes. Support the chair with enforcing ground rules and coaching through continuing professional development for healthier boardroom relationships.
Module 33 - Skills And Attributes Of The Company Secretary6:18
Discover the essential skills and attributes of the company secretary, including humility, integrity, discretion, neutrality, and emotional intelligence, to stabilize governance, de-escalate conflict, and empower board leadership.

Requirements

No specific qualifications, however a basic understanding of how corporate and other boards operate would be helpful.

Description

Summary/Purpose: The word ‘Conflict’ often conjures up negative visions of antipathy, arguments and fighting, and so we regard it with fear, something to be avoided. However, if conflict is managed in the right way, it can be a source of enlightenment and creativity, a chance to consider alternative and innovative approaches to problem solving. This course is designed to identify some of the common sources of conflict in the boardroom, why they occur and what can be done to ensure healthy conflicts that upgrade the vibrancy and diversity of the board’s thought leadership and accompanying debates. This in turn will lead to comprehensive, high-quality decision-making that can take an organization forward with confidence.

Content: The course focuses on why conflict is all around us and how we can reframe our approach to conflict as a powerful tool in the boardroom. We examine the mindset and ground rules to promote healthy debate and examine the key roles of the board secretary and the Chair in creating the culture, environment, and systems to facilitate and resolve board conflicts. This includes analysis of the conflict resolution strategies that can be used to create a unified and high performing board that supports every decision made. Although the board acts as a collective, the personal attributes of each individual director are an important ingredient to its ultimate success. We identify and consider personal skills, conduct and attributes required to contribute to the strength of the board, particularly from an EQ perspective.

Outcomes and Benefits: You will walk away with a different perspective around conflict in the boardroom, able to reframe it in a way that considers the potential benefits of a well-managed conflict. You will be clear on the personal attributes required to manage and resolve conflict, for the chair, secretary, and individual directors, and take to your board clear strategies to resolve conflicts and promote healthy debate and in doing so enhance your credibility and reputation.

Who this course is for:

Corporate and board secretaries, board and Committee Chairs, individual directors, boards (as a collective), and any senior management team member or governance professional that interacts with or supports the governance function and/or the board in their organization; and anyone that is interested in becoming a board director in the future.

Boardroom Conflict Resolution

What you'll learn

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Course content

Section 1 - An Introduction To Boardroom Conflict3 lectures • 15min

Section 2 - What Conflict Looks Like In The Boardroom5 lectures • 27min

Section 3 - How Conflict Shows Up In The Boardroom3 lectures • 18min

Section 4 - Strategies For Preventing Negative Conflict (Systems And Processes)5 lectures • 16min

Section 5 - The Importance Of Board Culture3 lectures • 10min

Section 6 - Turning Insight Into Impact2 lectures • 7min

Section 7 - When Conflict Arises2 lectures • 8min

Section 8 - Underperforming Directors4 lectures • 32min

Section 9 - The Role Of The Chair In Managing Conflict3 lectures • 14min

Section 10 - Role Of The Board Secretary In Creating Healthy Boardroom Conflict3 lectures • 15min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: