Fight the good fight! How conflict matters for supervisory boards in educational organisations

This thesis explores the critical role of good governance in educational institutions, focusing on the effectiveness of supervisory boards. High-profile failures in governance—such as the Amarantis (2012) and ROC Leiden (2015) scandals—exposed weaknesses in oversight, especially due to ineffective supervisory boards. Contrary to traditional views emphasizing board structure, this research argues that board effectiveness is driven primarily by board behaviour.
A comprehensive theoretical framework is developed to understand behavioural determinants of supervisory board effectiveness, particularly in educational organizations. It draws on corporate governance and team decision-making literature, highlighting the complex role of conflict within boards.
Therefore a multidimensional model is adopted distinguishing task, process, and relationship conflicts. The empirical research shows that this perspective provides more insight into how conflicts work. While task conflicts are positively correlated with performance, relationship conflicts mainly have a negative effect. However, at the same time, the different dimensions of conflicts are also inter-related.
Longitudinal analysis confirms that task conflict improves control and advisory functions, with cohesion amplifying positive effects and mitigating negative ones from relationship conflict. The concept of conflict profiles is introduced, showing how participative leadership and cohesion guide boards toward more effective conflict dynamics.
In sum, this thesis contributes by reconceptualizing conflict as multidimensional, linking conflict types to board effectiveness, and identifying conflict profiles that impact performance. It challenges the notion that all conflict is harmful, advocating for “fighting the good fight” as a pathway to effective supervisory boards in educational organisations.