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Ticking boxes is easy. Improving the board… not so.

Most boards do some form of in-house evaluation today. On paper, it looks fine. A questionnaire is shared, responses come in, someone compiles them, puts them in fancy pie charts and a report is circulated. Job done. In some cases, it is even less structured, merely a discussion among board members, without any formal framework.

But if you step back for a second—what really comes out of it?

In a lot of cases, not much. The process gets completed, but the board continues more or less as it was. Same discussions, same dynamics, same blind spots.

The critical issue is how these evaluations are approached. When evaluation is treated as a compliance requirement, the focus naturally shifts to things that are easy to track—attendance, number of meetings, and committee roles. Important, yes. But they don’t tell you how the board is actually functioning.

The more useful questions are a bit uncomfortable.

Is the board really pushing management, when it should? Are the right issues getting attention, or just the ones on a management crafted agenda? Is enough time being spent on strategy, or is it often sidelined because of packed schedules and limited meeting time? Do all directors contribute, or do a few end up driving most of the talking?

You don’t always get honest answers to these questions—and sometimes they’re not even asked.

That’s where the idea of using board evaluation as a strategic tool comes in. Done properly, it can highlight gaps you wouldn’t otherwise notice. Maybe the board lacks a certain skillset. Maybe discussions are far too aligned. Maybe risks are being acknowledged, but not really debated.

It can also shape bigger decisions—who needs to come onto the board and stay there, how committees are structured, and what the board should actually spend more time on.

But none of that happens automatically.

An evaluation on its own doesn’t change anything. What matters is what the board does with it. Whether it’s willing to reflect a bit, have a few uncomfortable conversations, and actually act on what comes out. This is where the role of the Chairperson of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee becomes important in driving the process, ensuring that feedback is meaningfully discussed, and that clear action plans are put in place and followed up over time.

Because at the end of the day, the real question isn’t whether the evaluation was done.

It’s whether evaluation made any difference.

If it did, it’s useful.

If it didn’t, it’s just another document sitting in a folder somewhere.

Mahima Chopra