Article Details
  • Published Online:
    June  2026
  • Product Name:
    The IUP Journal of Effective Executive
  • Product Type:
    Article
  • Product Code:
    IJEE040626
  • DOI:
    10.71329/EffectiveExecutive/2026.29.2.85-89
  • Author Name:
    John Tropman
  • Availability:
    YES
  • Subject/Domain:
    Management
  • Download Format:
    PDF
  • Pages:
    85-89
Volume 29, Issue 2, April-June 2026
The Advisory Board: A Solution to Some Key Dilemmas of the Board of Directors or Trustees
Abstract

An advisory board or group might be a useful and economical way to address the four main problems that directors of boards have in today’s firms, as well as governmental bodies and nonprofit organizations. An advisory group can provide a diversity perspective, groom future directors, provide an exit ramp for overstaying directors, concentrate technical expertise, provide an appropriate voice for influencers and firm family members, as well as ass

Introduction

All organizations have difficulties configuring the top echelon of their organizations: the board of directors. There are many internal and external pressures on the board’s configuration. For corporations, how many inside and outside directors should there be? For nonprofits and government bureaus (nonprofit boards have members, and are moving to call them trustees, but they do not have directors; government boards have many titles), how many trustees should be on? How can the board be diversified without becoming too large? How can a nonfunctioning director be eased off? What onboarding process should we have? What can happen when a director’s term expires?