When I was younger, most workplace fights ended with a movie or a drink, and we eventually laughed about it. As I got older, every difference of opinion, every increment, every promotion got my colleagues to quit on me. Though we shook hands and parted, some of us have never met since.

I tend to think I will never have a fallout with my co-founder. However, age is a funny thing; my sense is that what brought a younger neighbour, friend, colleague or co-founder together may not necessarily be enough in the face of a major boardroom conflict tomorrow. After all, leaders have to make major decisions, amid two differing sides of emotion. One could rationalise that conflict is like a gym for any leader — you have to be at it to get fitter.

Do strong differences of opinion get compounded with age, when power egos rise? As I hear about boardroom conflicts, notably at Tata Sons, I wonder if an ageing board compounds arguments into fights.

Most boards are filled with aged men, and not everyone is a wizard like Warren Buffett to deserve to preside till 96. We tend to believe experience serves boards well, and hence global brands have reasonably aged members. It may sound weird to suggest that aged boards create more conflicts, given that these listed companies are the most scrutinised and also financially successful.

Why do boards think they need aged members by their side? A 2023 study on CEO age and firm performance by Florida Atlantic University suggests that older CEOs exhibit significantly lower managerial ability in high-technology firms. While ageing is often associated with greater experience and ability, the research warns it can also lead to a decrease in cognitive function, energy, ambition and, hence, managerial ability.

Should we bet on youth to lead enterprises? The founder-led executive suite in top Indian unicorns averages 34-38 years, backed by an external supervisory board in the 55-64 age bracket, balancing execution agility with governance. However, the young guns aren’t making a case for themselves. The startup world’s mortality rate is high, and the prominent reason seems to be co-founder conflict. In his book The Founder’s Dilemma, Harvard Business School professor Noam Wasserman claims that 65 per cent of high-potential startups fail due to conflict among co-founders. CB Insights, a market intelligence platform, lists ‘disharmony in teams’ among the top 10 reasons for startup failures. The argument that younger leaders will have fewer fights doesn’t hold either!

Laura Carstensen, a Stanford psychologist, developed a lifespan theory of motivation — called Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (SST) — which posits that people change goals and priorities based on how much time they have left in life. When people perceive future time horizons as shorter, they prioritise emotionally meaningful goals by savouring the present, investing in sure things, and deepening close relationships rather than seeking new connections. This shift in goals impacts values, preferences, and decision-making. According to SST, older adults prefer to interact with emotionally close partners rather than peripheral social partners, even dropping the latter to increase the emotional density of their social networks. I wonder whether SST can give a new dimension to the ongoing tussle at the Tata board. Some want to hold on to what is sure, and some are looking at a new dawn.

Appointing a diverse board has been in vogue for a while now. Fortune 100 and S&P 500 companies now have about 34 per cent female representation. However, 40 per cent of the last 100 American unicorns still have 100 per cent all-male board composition.

Most board appointees are known to be based on the CEO’s or promoters’ preferences; hence, conflict is less likely. Differences of opinion are a healthy sign that board members are questioning what’s unbecoming of that institution. The Tata example, though, is an outlier to healthy conflict. Should we say consensus is an enemy to a competent leadership team? We want neither boards that only produce consensus nor fatal conflicts.

(Kamal Karanth is co-founder of Xpheno, a specialist staffing firm)

Published on September 28, 2026