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Few studies have examined the impact of governing board decision processes on board and organizational outcomes. This study draws on research on small work teams in the private sector to develop expectations about the relationship between outcomes and one aspect of board dynamics that affects decision-making: intra-board conflict. Using administrative and survey data from school board members and school district superintendents in California, I show a consistent pattern of negative associations between board conflict and outcomes at multiple organizational levels. An instrumental variables strategy utilizing institutional variation in board member election type confirms that board conflict can lead to negative outcomes. The findings suggest that existing conceptualizations of board roles should be broadened to incorporate the interpersonal dynamics that inform board decision-making. What factors lead some citizen boards to be more effective than others? This question is an important one for public administration research because many kinds of public organizations are governed by small boards elected or appointed to set organizational policy and provide oversight of organizational operations. City councils, county boards of supervisors or commissioners, and municipal boards overseeing specific policy areas, such as health or zoning, are all examples of
Jason A. Grissom (Thu,) studied this question.