Challenges of supervisory board work

Rethinking tasks

Technological change and its economic implications are causing dynamic changes in industries and markets. This poses new challenges not only for management but also for supervisory boards. What impact do the new framework conditions have on the focus of tasks and the structure of supervisory board work? To find out, we surveyed 120 supervisory board members of large companies in Germany and Austria. We present an overview of the results in this report. The results show that supervisory boards now not only want to control, but also actively shape change. Strategic tasks are increasingly coming into focus. But the structure of supervisory board work must also change. The survey clearly shows that new competencies are needed. The board must work more closely together in committees and focus content and formats more consistently on strategic issues. With an already high workload, the work itself must be systematically discussed in order to develop it further and thus increase the effectiveness of the supervisory board's work.

Largest survey of supervisory board members to date

For the study, 339 supervisory board members of large companies in Germany and Austria were contacted. 120 supervisory boards responded. To systematically prepare the survey, interviews were first conducted with more than 20 successful and experienced supervisory board chairmen of large German companies. The companies come from different sectors and size classes, about one third of them are family-owned. Most of the interviewed supervisory board members have been on several boards for a long time and thus have a lot of experience. Almost two-thirds of the participants chair the board or a committee.