Attributes of Non-Executive Directors: An exploratory study of selection processes of board members in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Non-executive directors (NEDs) are purported to be overseers of the work of company executives yet company failures have continued unabated. The research sought to unearth and explicate characteristics or attributes that qualify a NED for selection to the board in order to curtail corporate failures and scandals. The research was exploratory, qualitative and rooted in the interpretive paradigm in order to dig deep into insights on how director characteristics are a factor in the governance of firms. Document review, semi-structured interviews and social media were used to gather data. Forty-two (42) face to face interviews were held. Purposive and snowball sampling were used on respondents. From the results, emerging attributes of NEDs are boardroom entrepreneurship and strength of character. The research recommends that NEDs should be selected based on their board utility value and their abilities to conduct board work. Apart from skills, experiences and proficiencies; NEDs should be endowed with boardroom entrepreneurship and strength of character that can enable them to make informed contributions as committee members.