Conclusions, Prescriptions, and Predictions

In this chapter, we try to summarize the key arguments raised in the book by also proposing new theoretical lenses to look at them. We contextualize the job of Boards within a time of continuous crisis that followed the time of (supposed) continuous growth opening the current millennium. The time of continuous crisis is a time where we feel on the verge of the Apocalypse. However, it is not like the medieval age where prophets predicted the ruina mundi; in our time, it is science that every day reminds us that the end of the world may be approaching. In this context, we observed the increasing pressure toward conformity hitting Boards of Directors. This pressure and the broad range of regulatory patterns corporations are called to adhere to (GDPR, ESG, CSR, Equal opportunities, to name just a few) seem to drive decision-makers at the Board level toward the mere adaptation to rules and procedures of the so-called Compliance Society. Due to the fear of not complying, Boards are on a slippery slope toward making no decision at all or, more precisely, only deciding to comply with legitimated practices. The Weberian “polar night of icy darkness” seems to curb every corporate decision-maker. We conclude by looking forward that Boards react to this icy darkness by rediscovering their role in imagining possible futures. In a world driven by a never-ending present, we expect Boards keep imagining how to build competitive advantage from understanding the future and read the weak signals anticipating a new Zeitgeist. It is not just technical competence that will allow Boards to make better decisions. Business knowledge alone will not grant for the best strategies to face the future challenges and make overly profits. The uncompromised tension toward integrity of any Board member is the best panacea allowing all these requisites to legitimize Boards and make better decisions.