Psychology of the Boardroom

Board dynamics. Behavioural patterns. Boardroom biases.

Explore the psychology of the boardroom to support and enhance your contribution to the effectiveness of your board(s).

Join Dr Wieke Scholten, a social and organisational psychologist, in our new short programme aimed at improving boardroom engagement, collective decision making and overall effectiveness. Gain the confidence to contribute positively to boardroom dynamics. 

The unique programme has been designed for: 

• All board directors - the Chair, Executive Directors, Non-Executive Directors, Independent Non-Executive Directors.

Deepen your understanding of behavioural patterns and drivers that can lead to a positive impact on the quality of boardroom decision making. This programme will apply social and organisational psychology  to help enhance board effectiveness in practice.

Wieke will take you through four modules over two days:

1. Behavioural patterns in the boardroom
2. Social drivers of behaviours
3. Individual drivers of behaviours in the boardroom
4. Enhancing board effectiveness

On completion of this programme participants will have gained:

• An understanding of key behaviours that impact  the quality of decision making of boards, including the underlying psychological theory.
• An understanding of key root causes that drive these hindering and helping behaviours, including the underlying psychological theory.
• An understanding of regulatory attention to board effectiveness, and strengthen responses to this attention.
• An opportunity to exchange experiences with and learn from other directors in dealing with these behaviours in boardrooms.
• An opportunity to reflect on your own helping and hindering behaviours at the board table.
• An opportunity to translate the gained insights to a practical improvement plan to help enhance effectiveness of your board.

What people are saying

“A very beneficial insight into the social behavioral dynamics of not just the board of directors' but senior leadership teams also. Wieke created a relaxed learning environment where delegates could discuss behavioural psychology in practice, share rich experiences, develop a growth mind-set and forge new networks. Thoroughly enjoyable & would recommend."
Lorraine Rooney, CEO, TMF Fund Management (Ireland) Limited

"When dealing with groups, understanding individual and group behaviours, and their drivers, is essential to effectively achieving a shared desired outcome. This course helps with understanding and effectively navigating through the psychology of your boardroom."
Abhijeet Harolikar, Vice Chair of the Board - Progressive Credit Union 

"Dr Wieke Scholten delivered an engaging, uplifting and hugely informative two days focusing on how better to understand the social dynamics at play in the boardroom, with reference to our own experiences. We explored behavioural patterns, social and individual drivers of behaviours and the impact these can have on the quality of the decision making. All the participants shared their own experiences which brought Wieke’s teaching to life. We had periods of reflection and plenty of discussions in smaller groups. Finally, we made intentions for how we might be able to improve our experiences in the future. It is honestly the best short course I have ever attended. I would highly recommend to any board directors but the learnings can easily be applied to any group environment."
Jennifer Farrelly

"IoD Ireland’s innovative new programme Psychology of the Boardroom was both insightful and enjoyable. Dr Wieke Scholten provided a confidential and engaging environment to both learn from peers and her academic insight. This is an essential programme in understanding the behavioural dynamics of boards, but also senior executive and leadership teams."
Tara Glynn, Group Company Secretary & General Counsel, VHI Group Services DAC

Module One: Behavioural patterns in the boardroom

The opening module introduces participating Directors to boardroom behavioural patterns which impact the quality of decision making. The behavioural categories that will be covered include:

• Communication, such as voicing concerns and ideas, providing challenge.
• Collaborative behaviours, such as dealing with disagreements and mistakes.
• Leadership behaviours, such as effectively including different perspectives.

Participants will be asked to reflect on situations within their own boards. Then, the psychological theory will be discussed on hindering and helping behaviours. Finally, participants have the opportunity to digest and apply these behavioural insights to their own cases, whilst engaging with other participants in small discussion groups.

Module Two: Social drivers of behaviours

The second module explores the root causes of behaviour in the boardroom. The following social drivers of behaviours, i.e. key social psychological mechanisms that drive behaviours, are discussed:

• Group dynamics, including in- and outgroup effects
• Helping and hindering emotions
• Consequences of inequality

Again, participants will be asked to reflect on situations within their own boards. Then, the psychological theory will be discussed on hindering and helping behaviours. Finally, participants have the opportunity to digest and apply these behavioural insights to their own cases, whilst engaging with other participants in small discussion groups.

Module Three: Individual drivers of behaviours in the boardroom

In the third module we explore the individual drivers of behaviours in the boardroom. Here the participating Directors will be invited to:

• Self-reflect on their own behavioural strengths and improvement opportunities.
• Learn how to leverage these insights to contribute to the Board’s effectiveness (personal leadership within the Board).

Participants will be asked to self-reflect in inspirational and structured ways through individual exercises and discussions with other participants in bilateral or small groups.

Module Four: Enhancing board effectiveness

The final module enables directors to consider a plan to enhance the effectiveness within their Boards. The directors will make use of the insights gathered in behavioural patterns and drivers within their boardrooms; the insights in psychological mechanisms and their own behavioural strengths and improvement opportunities.

Module four will close with input on dealing with regulatory attention to board effectiveness, and allow for Directors to exchange experiences and views on this topic.

Introducing Dr Wieke Scholten

Dr Wieke Scholten is a social and organisational psychologist with 20 years of experience in behavioural analysis in organisations, of which 12 years in financial services. Her PhD in social psychology focused on preventing conduct issues by revealing team climate perspectives in trading and sales businesses. Previously she has been Head of Audit for Behavioural Risk at NatWest group (based in London) where she created and headed up a global behavioural risk assessment team.

Wieke is a former Senior Supervisor of Behaviour & Culture at DNB – the Dutch Central Bank and prudential regulator and was one of the first psychologists hired by the Central Bank to build this supervisory expertise. As a supervisor, she conducted and led several behavioural supervisory assessments of Executive Committees and Boards.

She is an author of various publications on behavioural risk management and has lectured on cultural change and ethical behaviour for the Institute of Banking since 2018 and is founder of the behavioural risk expertise practice BR Insights BV / Ltd.

Is this eligible for CPD?

Dimension covered: Psychology of the Boardroom

Eligible hours: 12 hours of Chartered Director CPD

This session may be eligible for other professional body CPD. Check with your relevant professional body. All participants will receive a certificate of completion based on full attendance.

What is the cost?

IoD members - €1800

Non-members - €2300 

It is not possible to book individual sessions, booking is paid for as a whole.

Time and location

This in-person programme will run from 9am to 4:30pm on Wednesday, 26th March and Thursday, 27th March 2025. It will take place in the Irish Management Institute (IMI), Sandyford Road, Sandyford, Dublin 16. 

Group bookings

Contact the IoD Ireland Learning and Education team on cpd@iodireland.ie or phone +353 1 411 0010.

Cancellation and refund policy

Places are confirmed upon full payment. Cancellations with a full refund are accepted in writing to cpd@iodireland.ie until Thursday, 20th March 2025.  After this date, no refunds are possible, and all fees are forfeited for cancellations or non-attendance. Please note this live and interactive series requires attendance at each session. Unfortunately, recordings will not be available as part of post-session materials.

Want to connect with fellow workshop participants?

All workshop attendees will receive a list of all other workshop participants in advance of the session. This will include name, job title and organisation. If you have any queries around this  please contact the Learning and Education Team.

For GDPR reasons, we cannot provide contact details on the attendee list. 

Questions?

For any IoD Ireland Learning and Education Programme queries, email cpd@iodireland.ie or call +3531 411 0010.