Enhancing the Effectiveness of a Board of Directors

Michael Dell, Dell, Inc.

Dell describes what he looks for his board of directors to do in a business that changes rapidly. He requires each director to select and learn as much as possible about an area of Dell, Inc. During board meetings, the directors report what they have learned. This method, Dell notes, is much more effective in increasing the knowledge of the board and understanding the business of the company. To ensure that the company gets a board of experienced leaders, Dell uses a well-established company process to evaluate their development capacity.