Morten Huse

BI Norwegian Business School | BINBS · Department of Communication and Culture

What do we know about actual board behavior and board performance? How can we develop our knowledge about board processes and board members’ capabilities? As a research field grows into maturity, we learn to see nuances, and the vocabulary used becomes richer and more detailed. However, the development of a consistent and nuanced language in resear...

The purpose of this symposium is to explore the different meanings of the concept of 'capital' not as a financial notion but as an intangible asset that promotes organizations and transforms them for good. Different types of capital such as social, human, psychological and relational will be discussed. The acquisition and sharpening of intangible c...

We show unintended consequences of quota regulations to get women on boards. Board members may have different characteristics, and even among women, there are variations. We assume that the characteristics of the board members have an influence on their contributions to boards, to businesses as well as to society. In this paper, we argue that diffe...

The objective of this chapter is to discuss corporate governance in relation to small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). We examine the regulatory environment by reviewing corporate governance codes developed for SMEs as well as literature and research on corporate governance in SMEs. From this stance, we discuss the specificities of SMEs, includi...

Drawing on 31 interviews, we explore the life trajectories of some of the women with most directorships in Norway after the introduction of the quota, with specific attention to their capitals. Adopting a Bourdieusian approach, we examine to what extent forced structural changes (the quota), challenge what are valued as legitimate capital(s) in the...

In this chapter we reflect on the ongoing megatrend of digitalization in relation to boards of directors. We define and discuss the digital transformation and its consequences for societies and corporations as well as how corporations cope with digitalization inside and outside the boardroom. Furthermore, we examine and discuss accountabilities and...

Relying on a sample of 841 respondents who are board members of Norwegian firms, this study applied Dr. Guttman’s Facet Theory along with nonmetric multidimensional scaling to propose and empirically test structural hypotheses about perceptions of boardroom dynamics. The application of this formal methodology to studying corporate governance proces...

Scandinavian countries continue to build strong reputations as the world's least corrupt countries. In this case study, in a search for an institutional framework that other countries and policy makers can learn from, we explore sources of high transparency and anticorruption norms in Scandinavia. The most important lesson from this study is that l...

This Element shapes the discussion about corporate governance and boards of directors. The arena for boards and corporate governance is not static. In Boards, Governance and Value Creation (Cambridge, 2007) Morten Huse accumulated knowledge about boards with a focus on behavioural perspectives. The present contribution reflects on what has been hap...

What is board accountability, and how is such accountability created? This response to Roberts, McNulty and Stiles suggests a framework for exploring behavioural perspectives of boards and corporate governance. The contribution of this framework is to develop a terminology that may help us accumulate knowledge and provide directions for a research...

The key findings of this Bulletin are: • Voluntary actions to get more women on boards did not work in Norway. A legal quota for gender balance was therefore implemented. Many countries have been influenced by the snowball that started rolling in Norway. • Challenges, characteristics, and contributions of the women becoming board members vary. They...

Management research has diuring recent years been subject to critical attention. There have been calls for redirections toward what matters most and towards scholarship with impact. In this paper I present reflections about the future of scholarship. AOM (The Academy of Management) has become an inmporant premise vendor for international management...

In this paper we discuss the factors that influence women’s likelihood to gain positions of power, and what impedes women’s effectiveness once in these roles. We have reviewed the research from an international perspective and have highlighted the common trends that impact women across the globe. Although progress has been made, there is still much...

In Italy, the so-called Golfo Mosca Law was implemented in 2012. Since its introduction, Italy has been among the countries making the most significant progress in terms of getting women on corporate boards. This law is characterised by a strong pressure through a sanction system, but it has a temporary validity. The aim of this chapter is to show...

Norway was the first country to propose gender representation regulations by means of gender quotas for public limited boards. The law was ratified by the Parliament in 2003 and implemented in 2006 with a two-year grace period. In this chapter, we describe some of the contextual factors and processes that were important leading up to the introducti...

Understanding the spread of national public policies to increase the percentage of women on boards is often presented using different types of institutional theory logic. However, the importance of the political games influencing these decisions has not received the same attention. In this article, we look beyond the institutional setting by focusi...

lntrod u ksjon I det hemmeligstemplede vedlegget forklarer Aaser, ifølge VGs opplysninger, at Telenor har gjennomgått seiskapets arkiv og der oppdaget et dokument sorn viser at Telenor,sjefene har hatt tilgang på mer informasjon enn hva de har opplyst orn til Maeland og Stortingets kontroll-og konstitusjonskomité. (VG, 3o.ro.zor5) Dei hadde vaert f...

The question of how boards contribute to value creation has so far received only limited attention in the academic literature. When comparing recommendations from corporate governance and traditional board research with core characteristics of entrepreneurial behaviors, it may be seen how board standards risk limiting value creation or even cause v...

Spain was one of the first countries in Europe to set out a gender balance legislation on corporate board by the organic law 3/2007 of 22nd of March. However, the recommendation included in the law for big companies to attain a 40% of the least represented gender by 2015 did not contain any sanctioning. As a consequence Spain is at present among th...

While directors' knowledge represents a crucial resource for strategizing on boards, little is known how knowledge of individual directors becomes deployed behind the doors of the boardroom. Drawing on the concept of absorptive capacity, we develop a model that explores how directors' explorative, transformative and exploitative learning affects bo...

Manuscript Type Empirical Research Question/Issue To address the lack of a complementarities‐based approach in studies of board diversity, this paper seeks to understand whether and how certain country‐level factors are causally and jointly related to women on boards and the nature of their complementarities (are they synergic or substitutes?). Mo...

This panel will discuss decision making inside the black box of corporate boards of directors to understand the roles women are playing in this process. A better understanding of women’s actual roles in board decision making might help boards understand how gender diversity can enhance board performance, and thus lead to an increase in the number o...

This symposium presents some of the latest research undertakings about of women on boards (WoB). The symposium features five projects by 11 authors from 8 different countries and 13 institutions globally. The goal of the symposium is to understand WoB from different perspectives in terms of topics, focuses, theoretical frameworks, methodologies and...

In this study, we examine and compare formal board structures and actual board behaviour in privately held SMEs. We integrate and build on ideas from institutional theory and the behavioural theory of the firm to propose that privately held firms have specific governance needs that 'decouple' formal board structures from actual board behaviour. Fol...

A quarterly chat around the conference table between the chair and the old boy’s network (i.e., board members) no longer suffices, especially given market and stakeholder expectations, not to mention increasing efforts at mandating board diversity. So, what does the boardroom of the future look like? What are the challenges and strategies for effec...

Corporate governance begrepet blir av enkelte oversatt med eierstyrng. En slik definisjon markerer at corporate governance og st¡rrearbeid er to ledelse ser vi at eierskap og aksjonaerforhoÌd er blant en bedrifts viktigste produksions_ faktorer. I et aksjeselskap er det en uu ,ry..r, viktigste oppgaver det å sikre at bedriften har gode aksjonaerer...

I Norge er det ikke tradisjon for høye stfreho-norarer, men i lØpet av de siste årene har honorarene i de største bedriftene steget vesentlig. Likevel honoreres stfremedlemmer i norske ASA-sq.rer vesentlig mindre enn sty-remedlemmer i tilsvarende bedrifter i en del andre land. Piecks honorarer som styreleder er høyere enn samlet utbetaling til hele...

The decision to internationalize in small and medium sized family businesses is often heavily determined by the founder-CEO, which is usually risk averse and tries to conserve the family capital. Members of the board of directors in a nonoperative supervising function can help to objectify the risk assessment of the CEO. Within the communication an...

A snowball has started to roll in Norway as a consequence of the introduction of a gender balance law. This snowball has triggered a global avalanche, and the world is looking to Norway. Below, Morten Huse and Cathrine Seierstad question what can be done to increase the number of women on boards, and consider the background and consequences of Norw...

The main objective of this paper is to explore the role of family councils vis-à-vis corporate governance mechanisms. Particularly, the paper explores whether family councils perform only their distinctive family governance role or if they also substitute for the roles performed by corporate governance control mechanisms. Based on a sample of 243 I...

Description This book provides unique insights into how the idea of quota laws to get women on to corporate boards gained international momentum from their origins in Norway. Invaluable insights are gained through the stories of actors involved in shaping the discourse and practice on women on boards. In exploring political contexts, the role of th...

I denne artikkelen presenteres tanker om verdiskapende styrearbeid. Formålet er å bidra til styreutvikling og styreevalueringer. Tankene kommer ikke fra litteraturen og debattene om styrer i børsnoterte bedrifter, men fra styrer og styrearbeid med andre selskaps- eller eierformer. Det argumenteres med at det generelt er mye å lære fra disse andre b...

Academic debate on the strategic importance of women corporate directors is widely recognized and still open. However, most corporate boards have only one woman director or a small minority of women directors. Therefore they can still be considered as tokens. This article addresses the following question: does an increased number of women corporate...

Following calls to capture the consequences of family involvement in the business, this article empirically investigates the mediating role of board processes (i.e., effort norms, use of knowledge and skills, and cognitive conflicts) and board (control and strategy) tasks in the relationship between family involvement and firm performance in small...

This paper addresses recent calls to narrow the micro-macro gap in management research (Bamberger, 2008), by incorporating a macro-level context variable (country) in exploring micro-level determinants of board effectiveness. Following the integrated model proposed by Forbes and Milliken (1999), we identify three board processes as micro-level dete...

Manuscript Type: Empirical Research Question/Issue: Boards' involvement in strategy is generally seen to be an indicator of board effectiveness, but less is known about the relationship between board leadership and strategy involvement, especially in small firms. This study analyzes board leadership from a team production perspective as an antecede...

Nyere forskning på styrer og ledelse viser stadig større interesse for hvordan situasjonsbestemte variabler påvirker styrets sammensetning og atferd. I denne artikkelen ser vi nærmere på styreoppgaver i ulike faser av bedriftens livssyklus. Vi sammenlikner styreoppgaver i vekstbedrifter med styreoppgaver i andre faser av bedriftens livssyklus. Vi h...

Styrearbeid skjer oftest på en annen måte i vekstbedrifter enn i etablerte børsnoterte foretak. I denne artikkelen presenteres en del begrep som hjelper oss til å forstå styrer i vekstbedrifter. Hensikten er å bidra til å utvikle verdiskapende styrearbeid. Det argumenteres her for et balansert perspektiv på hvilket fokus styrearbeidet bør ha, hva s...

Scholars and practitioners have recently devoted considerable attention to boards of directors, but far more research is needed. We still know little about how boards actually work and how their behavior may be improved to contribute to value creation. During more than two decades agency theory has been the dominant theory in studies about boards o...

Scholars and practitioners have recently devoted considerable attention to boards of directors, but far more research is needed. We still know little about how boards actually work and how their behavior may be improved to contribute to value creation. During more than two decades agency theory has been the dominant theory in studies about boards o...

There have been calls for innovations to strengthen the position of women in society and in business. Special attention has recently been given to how to increase the number of women on corporate boards of directors. There have been societal case arguments, business case arguments and arguments related to the career possibilities for women. A large...

A practical handbook about how boards may contribute to value creation in companies

In this article we offer an empirical test of the critical mass arguments in the discussion of women on corporate boards. The literature in the women on corporate board debate concludes that there must be at least three women on a board before the women really make a difference. These arguments are frequently used in the public debate about the und...

The focus of this paper is to explore how contrasting ideologies influence the selection process of outside directors in the small family business. Small family businesses donot just represent smallscale economic activity but they are the outcome of entrepreneurial ambition and family involvement. This means that willpower and emotional commitment...

In this article we offer an empirical test of the critical mass arguments in the discussion of women on corporate boards. The literature in the women on corporate board debate concludes that there must be at least three women on a board before the women really make a difference. These arguments are frequently used in the public debate about the und...

Artikkelen tar for seg hvorvidt og i hvilken grad kvinner i styrer påvirker bedriftens innovasjonsevne. Ut fra teorier om gruppeproduktivitet antar man at kvinners faktiske bidrag i styrer avhenger av styrets beslutningskultur. I teorien vil beslutningskulturen i styrer ses på som en mellomliggende faktor mellom andelen kvinner i styret og bedrifte...

Hva kan andre land lære fra Norge? Internasjonalt er det meget stor interesse for hva som har skjedd og skjer i Norge i forbindelse med loven om kjønnskvotering i ASA-styrene. Norge er blitt sammenligningsgrunnlaget som brukes av politikere, praktikere og aktivister i mange land, og fungerer som en lekegrind for forskere. I denne artikkelen present...

Manuscript Type: Empirical Research Question/Issue: The increased attention to women on corporate boards presents new challenges to governance research. In this paper we go beyond demography and open the “black box” of board behavior by drawing upon theories of gender differences and group effectiveness. Research Findings/Insights: A unique survey...

In times of vivid debates about the role of women on corporate boards, this article investigates the contribution of women directors to board decision-making and strategic involvement. Based on survey data from multiple respondents in 120 Norwegian firms, we find that women directors influence board strategic involvement through their contribution...

This paper argues that the lessons of previous crises have not been learned. Attempts to encourage the discussion and mainstreaming of business ethics in management education too often led to the emergence of incongruous parallel curriculum structures and a one-sided instrumentalist approach to learning about corporate social responsibility. When i...

Internationalisation is one of the biggest challenges for family businesses. Although prosperous locally, many of these firms often face several difficulties in entering foreign markets. To date, there are contrasting results with respect to the internationalisation behaviour of family businesses and the role of boards of directors in this process....

Internationalisation is one of the biggest challenges for family businesses. Although prosperous locally, many of these firms often face several difficulties in entering foreign markets. To date, there are contrasting results with respect to the internationalisation behaviour of family businesses and the role of boards of directors in this process....

We present results from a study about women and employee-elected board members, and fill some of the gaps in the literature about their contribution to board effectiveness. The empirical data are from a unique data set of Norwegian firms. Board effectiveness is evaluated in relation to board control tasks, including board corporate social responsib...

Manuscript Type: Review Research Question/Issue: A coherent alternative to an economic approach of corporate governance is missing. In this paper we take steps towards developing a behavioral theory of boards and corporate governance. Research Findings/Results: Building upon concepts such as political bargaining, routinization of decision making, s...

Manuscript Type: Review Research Question/Issue: Over the last four decades, research on the relationship between boards of directors and strategy has proliferated. Yet to date there is little theoretical and empirical agreement regarding the question of how boards of directors contribute to strategy. This review assesses the extant literature by h...

Manuscript Type: Literature review. Research Question/Issue: Over the last four decades, research on the relationship between boards of directors and strategy has proliferated. Yet to date there is little theoretical and empirical agreement regarding the question of how boards of directors contribute to strategy. This review assesses the extant lit...

Research about boards and governance has been characterized by the dominance of few concepts and a limited number of methods. This article introduces methods and concepts that help us explore board processes. Six illustrative studies of board processes are presented, including the use of 'one of the lads' - methods, 'flies on the wall' - methods, i...

This book presents boards of directors from a strategic and entrepreneurial management perspective. Boards of directors are receiving increased interest in the business world as well as among academic audiences however few contributions integrate corporate governance and organizational behavior. In this book a research stream about value-creating b...