DATA COLLECTION

3*1 Introductory Remarks

The initial problem encountered by the researcher was that of trapping the non-executive directors to be interviewed. The non-executive dir­ ector is (at least in relation to research endeavours) a shy and re­ tiring creature, with, generally, a dread of publicity and such a pathological fear of committing indiscretions of any kind that, as the promoters of surveys have noted, he is often reluctant to impart infor­ mation that can be read in 'Who's Who'. As we shall see later this is in accord with members understanding that 'discretion' is a rational feature in the assessment of member competence. It is a matter of int­ erest that hardly any of the non-executive directors interviewed were prepared to introduce the researcher to their colleagues. One can speculate that perhaps they feared their colleagues would regard them as having behaved indiscreetly by agreeing to be interviewed, or per­ haps they feared that the researcher's objective was to obtain infor­ mation regarding their own competence as non-executive directors or perhaps they did not wish to importune members of "the club" on whom they depend for introductions and business. The fact that interviews were drawn from such disparate sources was one means of ensuring that

they were a randomised selection of non-executive directors.

all contacts available to the researcher, as well as publicity obtained in managerial journals. They comprise members of academic institutions who sit on company boards as non-executive directors, retired executive directors of companies who continue to work part-time as non-executive directors, professional non-executive directors whose entire income is derived from this occupation, non-executive directors connected with banking interests, and executive directors who sit on other company boards as non-executive directors. A wide range of industries, and of sizes of company, is encompassed in the employment record of non­ executive directors interviewed. In fact professional non-executive directors can be expected to be involved with a wide range of indus­ tries at any one time, and many non-executive directors sit on the boards of both multi-national corporations and very small local firms.

'Confirmatory* interviews were also conducted with persons connected with the Institute of Directors, the C.B.I., and the B.I.M., although

these were used mostly as guidelines for the researcher and are rarely quoted in the text.

3*2 The Interview Method

The technique employed in interviewing could be described as the 'semi- structured* interview. That is to say, the researcher was armed with a list of points on which elucidation was required, which will be re­ produced below. However, it never proved necessary actually to ask questions on all points listed, since the information was generally volunteered in the course of conversation. The list had, rather, the function of a prompt sheet, providing topics on which to restart con­ versation when it lapsed.

Much information additional to the points listed was obtained, since the researcher simply allowed the interviewees to discuss any issues

which they perceived as relevant to performance of their role. No questions were raised or interruptions made as long as the interviewee was content to continue talking. When topics arose which were unexpec­ ted or not covered in the interview schedule, the agenda of questions was abandoned for the time being, and the interviewee encouraged to

discuss the new topic for as long as possible.

The list of points was originally constructed from study of the rele­ vant documentary evidence together with some piloting on individuals interested in the research. It was modified slightly as the research progressed to cover those areas which appeared to be of greatest inter­ est to the non-executive directors themselves. That is to say, the choice of issues dealt with was in fact determined by the issues which respondents were most inclined to discuss.

The interviews were taped when conducted, and subsequently transcribed verbatim for purposes of analysis. With regard to taping the inter­ views, it was found that in a majority of cases, while interviewees be­ gan talking in a guarded and self-conscious manner, very much with one eye on the tape recorder, and in some cases even exhibiting behaviour such as straightening their ties before beginning to speak, after a relatively short time they tended to forget that the tape was running and to talk to the interviewer in a more or less relaxed and natural manner. The taping of interviews was found to cause interviewees to exhibit far fewer signs of worry, irritation, or defensiveness than was the case if the interviewer was observed to be taking notes. Only in a very few cases did the interviewees appear to remain aware of the tape throughout the interview and to talk as if all comments were 'on the record' despite the extensive guarantees of confidentiality with respect to information on specific companies and persons.

3*3 Interview Schedule

1) How much influence do the non-executive directors have on the