Many boards have made strides in increasing diversity with more women and people of color serving as directors. However, diversity alone is insufficient without true inclusivity, which ensures all members’ voices are heard and valued. Our interviews with board chairs and members revealed a gap: chairs generally believe their boards are inclusive, but many directors disagree. Inclusion means every board member feels respected and empowered to contribute, with diverse perspectives actively sought and thoughtfully considered. We identified five often-overlooked behaviors that chairs can adopt to foster inclusion: 1) Using pre-meeting calls to understand, not control, perspectives; 2) Framing agenda items for discussion rather than presentation, encouraging open dialogue; 3) Demonstrating true hearing by acknowledging and integrating input beyond just active listening cues; 4) Managing seating arrangements to disrupt power clusters and ensure equal participation; and 5) Providing equal access to information and executives to all members consistently.
Additional inclusion boosters include explicitly measuring board inclusiveness through surveys or one-on-one conversations, and offering training to close expertise gaps on complex topics like AI and sustainability. Intentions alone don’t create inclusion—it requires deliberate, consistent chair behaviors. Chairs who embrace these practices can transform diverse boards into inclusive environments where smarter, more innovative decisions thrive.
