Resolving a Destructive Relationship Among Board Members

The Client

An international association in engineering.

The Challenge

In the simplest terms, two board members—one of whom was the president of the association—developed a deep-seated personality conflict, which grew to the point that they could not even be on a phone conference together.

The Solution

Sometimes, a conflict grows so large as to supersede all other elements of the way the board or organization operates. It becomes clear even to a casual observer when a board member’s colleagues have tuned them out regardless of the quality of their input. Ultimately, we get to the essence of the problem and find the resolution that is best for the team. Usually this is achieved through agreements on group norms. In some instances, however, it requires facilitating a problem individual to voluntarily leave the board, which was how this issue was ultimately resolved.