The Board Room for the Future
The boardroom of the future will be designed to promote wellbeing and health for the participants. It must also be board room for the future an environment that supports the use of digital technology for more efficient and effective meetings.
Meeting room furniture, for instance, should be able to accommodate more than one person to attend the same event without sacrificing privacy or efficiency. The space should have state of the art acoustic design and a high-quality sound system to ensure that both in-person and virtual attendees can be heard clearly. The space should also be able include natural light sources to reduce eye strain and headaches during meetings. According to an earlier Harvard Business Review study, natural lighting is the top-rated office perk, surpassing more traditional and predictable options like cafeterias and fitness facilities on the premises.
Other technological innovations could be useful in the boardroom including real-time analytics and “living” management infographics which take the concept of information graphics and dashboards one step further, as well as crowdsourcing technology, which can give an outside view of the stakeholders. These tools can assist the board to better assess risks and create more solid foundations for decision-making.
In the future the boardroom will require more sustainability experts. Board members will need to be knowledgeable about the impact business activities have on the environment as well as climate change, biodiversity and human rights. It also means adding new skills, such as the ability to assess the impact of ESG issues on the long-term financial performance.