The Board: Role-Based Training and Oversight System
The “board” concept in Severance has been shrouded in mystery, but evidence suggests it might function as a role-specific training and oversight mechanism. What if each employee’s “board” is composed of those directly responsible for their training and evaluation?
The First “Board”: Helly’s Onboarding
The first instance of a “board” occurs during Helly’s onboarding. When she wakes up in the severed floor, she hears a voice asking, “Who are you?” This voice, of course, is Mark’s, as both he and Irv are on the other end of the “board” during this moment.
Since Mark and Irv were actively training Helly at the time, this strongly implies that her “board” consisted of them — her trainers. In this sense, the “board” isn’t some overarching, external force but rather a role-specific group responsible for guiding or evaluating the individual in question. For Helly, during her onboarding, her “board” was simply Mark and Irv.
This detail reframes the “board” as a flexible and dynamic concept, changing depending on the employee’s stage within the company or the task at hand.
The Second “Board”: Cobel’s New Role
The next time we encounter a “board” is after Cobel moves into her new office. The timing here is crucial. Moving into a new office signifies a shift in role — either a promotion or a reassignment. Such changes typically involve new responsibilities, which would make training or evaluation by a “board” highly relevant.
This suggests that Cobel’s “board” is specific to her role at that moment. It’s reasonable to assume that whoever was on the other end of her “board” was responsible for guiding or overseeing her transition into this new position.
The Structure of Role-Based Boards
If the “board” changes based on the person and/or their role, it suggests a highly decentralized and fluid oversight structure within Lumon. Each board might:
Be composed of individuals directly responsible for the employee’s training, evaluation, or guidance.
Shift as employees move into new roles, reflecting the specific requirements of their position.
This system could explain:
Why Helly’s board consisted of Mark and Irv during her onboarding.
Why Cobel’s board appears to focus on higher-level operations and oversight, such as her reintegration research.
The concept of multiple boards could also help maintain Lumon’s secretive and compartmentalized structure, with each board focused solely on its assigned employee or task.
The Mystery of Cobel’s “Board”
The identity of Cobel’s board remains unclear, but it’s clear that she views them as powerful and authoritative. Her efforts to prove the existence of reintegration suggest that her board has a vested interest in either understanding, controlling or suppressing it.
A Decentralized System of Oversight
The theory of role-based boards might suggest a flexible and highly individualized oversight mechanism at Lumon where each employee’s board could:
Reflect their immediate needs, whether onboarding (Helly) or transitioning into a new role (Cobel).
Be composed of individuals or entities directly responsible for their training or evaluation.
Ultimately, the existence of multiple, decentralized boards could help explain the fractured and secretive nature of Lumon, while offering a fresh perspective on the power dynamics within the company.