Consider where the governing body relies on cheap heuristics⁺ in decisions affecting R&D teams – forcing them to resort to all manner of deception, legalistic⁺ reasoning and their own cheap heuristics to better play the game. If a governing body has poor skills in managing its investments, then they’ll get poor results from the governed (‘the investments’).

I have a small biotech and I agree to join BigPharmaCo as a member of its R&D family. In exchange for funding, a hands-off management style, and access to key technical skills, I promise rights of first refusal on any products I discover. When signing the agreement I want assurances the rules won’t change mid-stream. I look to something in R&D governance that protects the sustainability of my interests.

We should be able to swap out the personalities without damage to the governed. Of course personalities matter, but selection and assessment of these personalities is built into the governance model. We design governance to get exceptional results that do not depend on exceptional leadership in governance.

That’s the concern of Organizational Behaviors, self-reflected back on the governance body. Sustainability relies, over time, on continuous improvement and adjustment of the governance model based on results in the field. You won’t get it right designing it in a conference room.