Our Research.
Providing clarity on the
complexity of governance
CoSteer runs a global open research programme in collaboration with The Good Governance Academy under the patronage of Sir Mervyn King.
We are proud and grateful to share our research and insight with this community and the wider world.
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Purpose drives governance.
Presented | July 2025
We explore how high quality governance depends on clearly defined purpose and aligned values. Emphasising that good governance stems from everyday decisions by individuals across an organisation—not just at board level.
We draw a vivid analogy of governance as a murmuration of starlings—decentralised yet harmonised decision-making governed by shared purpose and mutual trust.
Boardroom Dynamics.
Presented | February 2025
Here we share what are we seeing in Boardrooms, observing dynamics and the relationships between boards and their executives.
Our research uses primary data from many organisations, and uses AI and machine learning to analyse governance quality across multiple factors such as culture, decision-making, and decision-implementation.
We share case studies to illustrate how these insights can support better governance and better collaboration between boards and executives.
Inclusivity unpicked.
Presented | February 2024
Inclusivity is a key cultural attribute of decision-making and governance. Here we explore how it's deeply connected to high-quality decision-making within organisations.
Our research shows that empathic leadership, where leaders truly listen to diverse perspectives, is six times more impactful on governance quality than traditional aspects like training. Embedding values authentically and ensuring meaningful information for decisions are also critical levers for improving organisational performance.
Governance Complexity.
Presented | January 2023
Here we go deeper into the exploration of how cultural norms shape governance quality and, in turn, how institutional structures influence cultural practices.
We bring the science of complexity to the field of governance, highlighting its significance and how our research incorporates complexity.
We highlight that many governance models fall short in their linear approach - calling an urgency to understand and build governance systems that embrace systems thinking.
Connecting Culture 2.
Presented | September 2022
We begin to examine how governance systems and cultural frameworks influence one another. We explore real-world case studies that illustrate the interrelationships and the methodology behind our research.
We present some of the data and external validity and assurance processes we have been through in order to ensure that we can infer meaningful interpretation from our data.
Connecting Culture 1.
Presented | August 2022
This is the first in our series looking at how governance and culture are interconnected. We present our methodology and early findings showing how we're approaching this most challenging of problems.
We are specifically interested in exploring the interconnections between organisational culture, the quality and ethics of decision-making and the operational efficacy and performance within organisations.
The output is invaluable and, in my view, a must have for any organisation looking to measure and assess their leadership, culture, transparency and operational effectiveness.
Arun Chauhan | Founder of Tenet
Carolynn Chalmers, CEO
Good Governance Academy