Exam Practice - Cosec infleunce Flashcards
(7 cards)
What would be a good intro?
Purpose - This Board paper evaluates how I, as Company Secretary at Beddy Buys plc, can positively influence Board dynamics, using two frameworks: the Leadership Communication Grid (Rodgers, 2007) and the Baddeley & James Political Skills Model. The aim is to enhance Board challenge, cohesion and decision quality.
The governance professional plays a dual role: ensuring compliance with statutory obligations while enabling the effectiveness, culture and behaviours of the Board. Influence is exercised through formal mechanisms (e.g. minute-taking, agendas, policies) and informal engagement (e.g. trust-building, feedback, tone-setting).
How would you introduce Rogers 2007 Communication Grid
Leadership Communication Grid (Rodgers, 2007) – This model maps influence across two axes: formal vs informal and structured vs unstructured communication. It presents four quadrants:
Conventional Forums and Processes (Formal + Structured): Board packs, minutes, meeting protocols
Structured Dialogue and Participative Workshops (Formal + Unstructured): offsites, strategy sessions, stakeholder engagements
Everyday Conversations and Interactions (Informal + Structured): pre-meeting briefings, mentoring, Chair-CEO planning sessions
Role Modelling and Informal Tone Setting (Informal + Unstructured): corridor chats, informal feedback, post-meeting conversations
How would you introduce Baddeley & James Political Skills Model
Baddeley & James Political Skills Model – A diagnostic tool assessing political behaviour based on two axes: Influence and Goal Alignment. The four types are:
Wise Owl: high influence, high alignment – trusted, strategic and effective
Sheep: low influence, high alignment – well-intentioned but passive
Fox: high influence, low alignment – self-serving, politically agile
Donkey: low influence, low alignment – disengaged and ineffective
How is this relevant to Beddy Buys?
At Beddy Buys, I have fulfilled the technical duties of the role, but I now recognise the need to broaden my influence beyond compliance.
While Board meetings are not overly formal, strategic conversation is often dominated by CEO Jolanta, with the Chair more focused on innovation than facilitating collective reflection.
NEDs remain quiet, and a newly appointed NED has not yet contributed, suggesting missed opportunities to build cohesion and surface concerns.
There is no routine post-meeting review, and feedback loops are informal at best.
These gaps limit the Board’s capacity to engage with complex topics like ESG, succession, and stakeholder impact.
To transition towards the “Wise Owl” position, I will make better use of both structured and informal interactions—for example, introducing pre-meeting briefings with the Chair to frame topics constructively, scheduling debriefs with individual NEDs, and promoting reflection practices within the meeting agenda. I will also align agendas more deliberately with long-term strategy and regulatory expectations.
What can the CoSec practically do - what are the recommendations?
Recommendations
Broaden communication channels: Apply all four quadrants of Rodgers’ Grid to balance structure with informality and encourage participation and psychological safety
Build political capital: Strengthen trusted relationships with the Chair, CEO and NEDs by demonstrating reliability, discretion and shared goals
Support behavioural change: Co-develop a Board Charter that sets expectations for tone, trust and engagement, and use end-of-meeting reflection prompts to embed learning
Enhance learning loops: Facilitate informal NED mentoring and post-meeting feedback mechanisms to promote ownership and continuous improvement
Why is it important?
The UK Corporate Governance Code (Principles B and D) requires effective leadership and constructive Board behaviour. The Post Office Horizon scandal highlights the danger of weak challenge and poor internal communication. At Beddy Buys, the risk is a drift into compliance-only governance, with little shared ownership of strategic risk or performance. As Company Secretary, I can help reposition the governance function as an enabler of culture, challenge and alignment—ensuring the Board becomes more reflective, cohesive, and forward-looking.
