Board Diversity
By Dr Edwin Nharirire Imagine a Board of Directors of one of the largest listed companies in Zimbabwe, by market capitalization, boasting of the following among its board members: a creative musician like Tuku, a serial entrepreneur like John, a Farmer Jangano of old, a recent MBA graduate in her late 20s, a human resources practitioner in his 40s and a Priest in his 70s. Such a scenario may never see the light of day in Zimbabwe. One of the key debates in management research on corporate governance is about board diversity and its implications on various indicators of board effectiveness. The key question is how Boards can use board diversity to their advantage. Board Diversity Dimensions Board diversity entails heterogeneity in the boardroom along the dimensions of gender, race, age, profession and, in some cases, among, many other dimensions. Boards often differ in their emphasis of board diversity dimensions