Does the chairman have to be the managing director?

在一家知名企業的董事會上，當新任董事長宣佈他將不再擔任常務董事時，所有人都愣住了。這位領導者以其卓越的決策能力和遠見著稱，但他卻選擇專注於戰略規劃，而非日常管理。隨著時間推移，公司在他的指引下蓬勃發展，證明了董事長並不一定要是常務董事。事實上，不同角色可以互補，使企業運作更為靈活與高效。因此，我們應重新思考Tradition觀念，以適應現代商業環境的需求。

Table of Contents

• Analysis of the roles of chairman and managing director
• Diversity and Flexibility of Chairman Responsibilities
• Choose the right leadership structure to improve company effectiveness
• 未来trend：董事會治理的新思維
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Summary

Analysis of the roles of chairman and managing director

In the corporate governance structure, the roles of Chairman and Managing Director each have their own unique importance.chairman通常負責整體戰略方向及公司治理，並且是股東會議的主要代表。他們需要具備卓越的領導能力，以確保公司的願景能夠有效地傳達給所有利益相關者。此外，董事長還需擔任外部關係的橋樑，促進與investment者、客戶及其他合作夥伴之間的良好互動。

Relatively speaking,managing Director則更專注於日常運營管理。他們負責執行由董事會制定的Strategy和policy，以及監督公司的實際運作。這意味著常務董事必須深入了解市場趨勢、內部流程以及員工需求，以便做出快速而明智的決策。在許多情況下，他們也是teammiddlecore人物，需要激勵員工並推動業績增長。

• Distribution of responsibilities:Although both belong to top management, the responsibilities they have are different. The chairman thinks more from a macro perspective, while the managing director focuses on micro operations.
• Communication channels:Within the organization, there needs to be good communication between the two to ensure consistency in strategy and execution. This coordination is critical to business success.

Therefore, it can be seen that not everychairmanAll must also serve as Managing Directors. In some cases, having different people fill these two roles can lead to greater flexibility and efficiency. For example, a person with extensive experience and proficiency in strategic planning could serve as chairman, while someone familiar with market operations and internal management could focus on day-to-day operations. Therefore, when selecting the right candidate, companies should evaluate the best configuration options based on their needs.

Diversity and Flexibility of Chairman Responsibilities

In today's corporate environment, the role of the chairman is no longer limited to traditional responsibilities. As the market changes and the company's needs diversify, the chairman must have the ability to flexibly respond to various challenges. This means they need to adapt their management style to different situations to ensure the company's continued growth and success.

First of all, as an important part of corporate governance, the chairman’s responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Develop strategic direction:引領公司未來發展路徑，確保所有決策符合長期aims.
• Supervision and execution level:Evaluate the performance of the senior management team and provide necessary support to drive business growth.
• Safeguard the interests of shareholders:平衡各方利益關係人之間的需求，保障股東rights and interestsmaximize.

其次，在某些情況下，董事長可能會選擇親自參與日常運營，而非單純扮演象徵性的角色。這種做法能夠使其更深入了解公司的實際狀況及員工需求，有助於快速反應市場變化。例如，一位positive參與經營決策的董事長，可以直接影響Product開發、客戶服務等核心領域，提高企業competitiveness.

Finally, companies of different types and sizes have different expectations for the role of the chairman. In start-ups, the chairman often has to hold other important positions as well, such as chief executive officer or financial director. In large multinational companies, they may focus on macro strategy and external relations. Therefore, we can see that even with the same title, the responsibilities and work content behind it vary from time to time and from place to place, making this role full of diversity and flexibility.

Choose the right leadership structure to improve company effectiveness

In today's highly competitive business environment, choosing the right leadership structure is critical to improving company effectiveness. Many companies still adhere to the traditional concept that the chairman must be the managing director. However, this way of thinking may limit a company's flexibility and ability to innovate. In fact, different organizational structures can be tailored to the company's needs and goals to achieve optimal results.

First of all,decentralized managementis an effective leadership model that allows department heads to have more autonomy. Under such a structure, departments can respond quickly to market changes without having to wait for instructions from the top. This not only improves decision-making efficiency, but also enhances employees' sense of responsibility and participation, making them more willing to devote themselves to work.

Secondly,cross-functional team也值得考慮。透過將不同profession背景的人才聚集在一起，可以促進creativity思維並加快問題解決速度。在這種情況下，即使董事長不是常務董事，他依然能夠發揮戰略引導作用，引領team朝著共同目標前進。此外，Diversity化視角還能幫助公司避免因單一思維而產生的盲點。

Finally, companies should regularly evaluate whether their leadership structure is aligned with current and future needs. If you find that certain roles or positions no longer meet the company's growth requirements, you need to make decisive adjustments. For example, in the rapidly changing technology industry, a flexible and adaptable management structure is often much more important than a fixed one. Therefore, you might as well re-examine the assumption that "the chairman must be the managing director" in order to find the method that best suits the development path of your company.

Future Trends: New Thinking on Board Governance

在當前快速變化的商業環境中，董事會治理面臨著新的挑戰與機遇。Tradition上，董事長通常被視為常務董事，但這種觀念正在逐漸改變。隨著企業運營模式的多樣化和Globalizationtrend加劇，許多公司開始探索更靈活的治理結構，以適應不斷演進的市場需求。

First of all, new thinking that is different from the previous single role positioning emphasizes theDiversity的重要性。在現今複雜的商業ecosystem中，一位具備不同背景和專業知識的人士擔任董事長，可以帶來全新的視角與創新思路。例如，有些企業選擇讓具有豐富行業經驗或國際視野的人士出任此職位，而非僅限於內部高層管理者。

Second, separating the chairman from the managing director can facilitateindependence及監督功能。這樣一來，能夠有效減少利益衝突，使得決策過程更加透明且Fairness。此外，由於各自負責不同領域，也有助於提升整體效率，使得公司能夠更快地響應市場變化。

Finally, under future trends, companies need to establishFlexible and dynamic的治理架構，以便迅速適應外部環境的不確定性。因此，不再堅持「必須」由常務董事擔任董事長的位置，而是根據公司的實際情況、發展階段以及所需技能來選擇最合適的人才，是未來成功的一個keyfactor.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the role of the chairman?

   The chairman is typically responsible for leading the board of directors, formulating company strategy and policies, and ensuring the company's overall operational direction. However, they do not necessarily need to hold the position of Managing Director.

2. What is the difference between a Managing Director and a Chairman?

   The managing director is primarily responsible for day-to-day management and execution of the business, while the chairman focuses on high-level decision-making and supervision. The two are functionally distinct, so a person can fill both roles, but not necessarily.

3. Do all companies require the chairman to be the managing director?

   No, the same structure may look different in different companies. Some companies choose to separate these two roles to better balance power and improve governance efficiency.

4. What are the advantages of separating these two roles?

   Separating the board of directors and managing directors can promote transparency, enhance accountability, and allow each to focus on its specific functions, helping to improve the company's overall performance and decision-making quality.

Summary

In corporate governance, the role of the chairman is crucial, but it does not necessarily need to be the managing director. Choosing the right talent and structure can improve a company's flexibility and innovation capabilities. Therefore, each company should carefully consider the setting of this position based on its own needs to achieve the best results.