Externa styrelseledamöter i ägarledda företag - vad externa styrelseledamöter kan bidra med och vilka de vanligaste svårigheterna för ägarna är
The work of the board in owner-managed firms often differ compared to the work of the board in large listed companies. Since the owners are working in different roles, the board in owner-managed firms might discuss topics outside the typical boards agenda, such as questions relating to ownership structure and operational matters. This thesis examines what external board members can contribute with in owner-managed firms, and which the most frequent difficulties are for the owners when deciding to recruit external board members. Through qualitative interviews, three owner-managed firms have been studied, which together with two expert interviews and five seminars, creates the empirics. In the analysis, the empirics are compared to what the earlier theory states. Our findings suggest that the control function of the board in owner-managed firms is important in the beginning, but the board work gradually develops into a more serving role. The owners must be willing to let go of some of the deciding power, in order to fulfill the aim of using the specific competences of the external board members.