Pedro Fontes Falcão, Co-Director of the Executive MBA, Director of the MSc in Business Administration, and Deputy Director of the Business Research Unit at ISCTE Business School, has just seen his latest academic work published in the prestigious Harvard Business Review. The article, titled “6 Kinds of Board Members — and How to Influence Them”, is co-authored with Randall S. Peterson.

Key Insights from the Article

The authors argue that a board of directors is rarely homogeneous — there are six distinct types of board-member profiles: the “narcissist”, the “data-chaser”, the “deferential” member, the “status-hound”, the “unprepared” member, and the “stakeholder champion.”

Each profile has its own motivations, priorities and style — therefore, anyone seeking to influence board decisions (whether a CEO, executive management or other stakeholders) must tailor their communication and argumentation strategy accordingly.

The article offers practical recommendations for engaging with each type: from using data and logic to persuade the “data-chasers”, to leveraging reputation and prestige to influence the “status-hounds” or “narcissists.”

Acknowledging this diversity of personalities and motivations can lead to more balanced corporate governance, improve strategic alignment, and enhance collective leadership capacity.

Significance for ISCTE Business School and the Business Community

This publication in Harvard Business Review by an ISCTE Business School faculty member highlights the international quality of the School’s research and its active contribution to global debates on corporate governance and leadership.

For Portuguese organisations — many undergoing internationalisation or adapting to competitive markets — the article’s insights about board-member profiles can serve as a practical guide to building more effective boards, avoiding personality or motivation conflicts, and fostering a governance culture that is balanced, adaptable and strategic.

Find more here.