The learning board: continuous education as a governance imperative

IN TODAY’S dynamic environment, a board's effectiveness is measured not just by what its members know, but by how deliberately they continue to learn. Directors may be appointed for their experience, but without renewal, that experience quickly becomes outdated.

- NQOBANI MZIZI

Yet in many organisations, director education is reduced to a box-ticking exercise, limited to induction packs, technical updates or ad hoc compliance briefings.

This is governance at its most passive. In truth, boards should embody the traits of a learning organisation: adaptive, inquisitive, self-aware and committed to continuous renewal.

An informed board acknowledges that its fiduciary duties exist in a world of fast-moving risks and opportunities. The pace of change in technology, climate governance, geopolitical tensions, stakeholder expectations, and regulatory shifts demands more than static knowledge.

It calls for a governance mindset that embraces learning as a strategic necessity.

The proof is stark: a 2023 PwC South Africa Director Survey revealed that 68% of South African directors admit their boards are outmatched by technological disruption, yet a mere 31% invest in formal upskilling.

Directors cannot rely solely on legacy knowledge or past achievements. The role has evolved, and so must those who occupy it. In 2022, boards spent less than 5% of their time discussing climate risks. The KZN floods that year cost R50 billion. The gap between governance and reality is unsustainable. Boards that fail to learn, fail to lead.

The concept of a learning organisation, popularised by Peter Senge, rests on disciplines such as systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models and team learning.

These principles are equally applicable to governance. Boards that model intellectual agility are better positioned to anticipate risk, adapt to change and shape resilient organisations.

They do not wait for a crisis to revisit assumptions. They engage proactively, ask difficult questions and challenge entrenched thinking.