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Enhance your board's performance through individual director effectiveness surveys.
Director Effectiveness Survey Overview
We updated our Director Effectiveness Framework in 2025 following a deep analysis of over 24,000 comments regarding the strengths and suggestions for 1,276 directors. The resulting DRIVE Framework (Direction, Relationships, Insight, Values and Execution oversight) is anchored in how directors are perceived in practice – inside the boardroom.
The behaviour of directors and how they operate is presented in a unified diagnostic framework. It recognises that a director’s value extends beyond technical skills or governance know-how. It also includes how they think strategically, relate interpersonally and contribute to the culture and integrity of the board.
Some directors have great skills, expertise, and abilities on paper, but struggle to apply those strengths in the boardroom. Some individuals possess multiple qualifications but lack the judgment and/or ability necessary to apply their skills and expertise in the boardroom effectively. Others have the skills and experience, but their behaviours and/or lack of EQ undermine boardroom trust, cohesion and effectiveness.
This is why improving director effectiveness is so integral to improving board effectiveness.
Benefits of a Director Review
Board performance doesn’t rest solely on structure, processes, or even collective intelligence. It rests on human beings—individual directors whose behaviours and contributions shape how a board functions. When directors are engaged, prepared, and respectful, their impact extends far beyond their individual roles. Likewise, when even one director behaves poorly or underperforms, the consequences ripple through the boardroom with a similar compounding effect.
This is why a well-structured review of individual directors’ effectiveness has significant benefits, not only for individual directors, but also for their board and organisation. Such a review must be positioned as an important ongoing process for the growth and development of the directors and the board. It should also be conducted constructively.
Gaps in directors’ self-awareness are likely to become evident. These gaps may not have been previously apparent to the directors themselves. Additionally, the negative impact of these gaps on the board’s overall effectiveness might not have been previously recognised either.
Once these gaps are visible using Board Benchmarking’s evidence-based approach, it becomes easier for the Chair and the individual director to address them.
Great boards foster a culture of continuous improvement at the board level. This often involves integrating mentoring and coaching into the processes by which directors are inducted, challenged, encouraged, and supported by the Chair and their fellow directors.
Our Director Effectiveness Surveys
All our Director Effectiveness Surveys have been designed based on the contemporary DRIVE Framework (Direction, Relationships, Insight, Values and Execution oversight). The framework integrates both what directors do and how they behave in a unified diagnostic framework. It recognises that a director’s value extends beyond technical skills and governance know-how. It also includes how they think strategically, relate interpersonally and contribute to the culture and integrity of the board.
As with all our other surveys, all director surveys and modules come with a free debrief to the Chair or nominated party.
Director Effectiveness Module (Lite Director Effectiveness Survey)
Our popular Director Effectiveness Module, which is added to the end of a board survey, can also be acquired as a stand-alone Lite Director Effectiveness Survey. It has the same four survey items as the Director Effectiveness Module (strategic, constructive relationships, reliable, drives execution). Questions on strengths and suggestions for each director are also included.
Advanced Director Effectiveness Review
Our Advanced director survey goes a little deeper than the Lite version, but not as deep as the popular Premium version. It is often used by medium to large organisations and by larger organisations who want a lighter touch director review. This survey includes the same eight survey items as the FREE Trial version for a single user, allowing directors and others to try it before purchasing the full version.
Premium Director Effectiveness Review
Our Premium Director Survey is our most popular option for larger organisations as part of their more comprehensive two- or three-yearly external review. It includes three survey items for each of the five DRIVE framework headings, as well as an item on overall effectiveness.
Director Review Process
The process typically includes a survey followed by a discussion with the Chair. It should be clear from the outset who will and will not have access to each Director Effectiveness Report. Generally, the Chair will review all reports and have one-on-one discussions with each director regarding their report. Sometimes, one of our governance experts will be asked to provide a structured debrief with each director on their report before their discussion with the Chair.
Our director’s surveys and modules utilise an innovative online data collection technology, allowing each participant to complete the survey in under 30 minutes. Directors rate themselves and each other on one webpage.
The survey can also be completed by executives who regularly attend board meetings and are familiar with each director. They rate each director’s attributes and provide comments on their strengths, as well as suggestions for improvement. To protect anonymity, all ratings and comments are combined in the reports provided to each director.
A governance expert will debrief the Chair on the Chair’s report and advise on the best way to debrief individual directors, with a focus on any potentially challenging reports. Individual directors are often offered the option to discuss their reports with the governance expert as well.
A separate group report is provided to the board, showing the average results for all directors based on the views of others. This report highlights the areas where directors excel and where they can improve collectively.
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Board Benchmarking has developed other surveys and reports to help boards achieve organisational success. These surveys are supported by expert advice on how to interpret and act on the results by our Global Board Advisory Partners.
