What Boards Should Do
Blue Ribbon Commission
Assessing the Company’s Adaptability: Questions for Boards
Implement Recommendation 4 from the NACD 2026 Blue Ribbon Commission report: Establish disciplined board practice for execution oversight.
How to use this tool: Board leaders (whether board chairs or lead independent directors) can use the framework and questions in this tool to enhance the board’s engagement with the CEO and other members of the management team in evaluating whether the company has the adaptability needed to successfully execute its strategy.
Adaptability Is a Business Imperative
Resilience—a company’s capacity to withstand shocks, recover, and continue operating—is not sufficient to sustain long-term performance in a volatile and rapidly changing environment. Companies must also be adaptable for effective strategy execution: not simply reacting to disruption, but capable of sensing emerging shifts early. Adaptability relates to an organization’s capacity to continuously learn, make timely decisions under uncertainty, redeploy capital, talent, and attention ahead of competitors, and sustain performance as conditions evolve.
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