Operational Risk

Feb 9, 2022

Strengthening Enterprise Agility for a Crisis: Lessons Learned

The COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges and necessary changes for all organizations. To support rapid change, many entities adopted agile business practices. A team of experts from McKinsey and the Harvard Business School analyzed the experiences of agile or partially agile companies during the crisis and provide insights around which elements of their operating models proved most useful in practice. To carry forward the lessons learned by agile organizations and to support success in the "new normal," the experts present a three-step guide to fully embracing an operating-model shift to agile practices.

Feb 8, 2022

Board Oversight of ESG and Diversity Risks

PwC's 2021 Annual Corporate Directors Survey gauges the views of public company directors across the United States. The survey results reveal the significant impact of the social, environmental and economic pressures companies have faced in recent years, including new risks for boards to address. The PwC report also sheds light on the changes boards are making in response to the dynamic environment.

Dec 9, 2021

REPORT: Executive Perspectives on Top Risks for 2022 & 2031

Executive Perspectives on Top Risks is an annual survey report that assesses the concerns of 1,453 board members and executives globally.

Nov 18, 2021

Looking for a better way to report risk information to management?

The ERM Initiative is pleased to provide this new case study, “Management Dashboards: Visualizing Enterprise Risks”, that illustrates a number of different ways organizations are embedding risk insights into management’s dashboard reports. The report was prepared by graduate students in the Poole College of Management at North Carolina State University based on input they received from 19 companies covering 9 industries including healthcare, financial services, pharmaceuticals, utilities, and wholesale/retail trades.

Oct 6, 2021

New Resources: ERM Tools & Techniques

The ERM Initiative interviews John Fraser, Rob Quail and Betty Simkins about the 2nd edition of Enterprise Risk Management: Today’s Leading Research and Best Practices for Tomorrow’s Executives.

Sep 21, 2021

Is Your Company’s Knowledge Walking Out the Door with Your Retirees?

A conversation about the risk of knowledge loss often is centered around a technology concern evoking thoughts of cyber breaches that release proprietary information, an operational matter considering outsourcing or the one that I will discuss, a people or talent discussion. This article discusses how knowledge loss from employee attrition can be reduced through effective knowledge management and knowledge transfer practices.

Aug 31, 2021

Mitigating Supply Chain Disruptions and Building Resilience

Global supply chains are larger and more complex than ever. At the same time disruptions that affect supply chains have grown more frequent and severe, exposing vulnerabilities. Companies and policy makers are reconsidering how to assess, analyze and mitigate risk exposure to bolster supply chain resiliency to shocks like financial crises, terrorism, extreme weather and pandemics. McKinsey Global Institute's (MGI's) report, Risk, Resiliency, and Rebalancing in Global Value Chains, explores factors leading to global supply chain risk, financial implications of shocks and guidance for building supply chain resiliency. Check out this summary of the key findings.

Jun 26, 2018

The Relationship between Internal Controls, ERM, and the Business Model

COSO's Improving Organizational Performance and Governance discusses how COSO's Internal Control Integrated Framework and COSO's ERM Integrated Framework relate to the standard business model. The frameworks can contribute to an organization's long-term success. The key takeaway is that good risk management and internal control are necessary for the long term success of all organizations. Improving organizational performance and governance will support this goal.

Jun 26, 2018

COSO’s Take on the Three Lines of Defense

As risks begin to threaten the achievement of company objectives, senior management must determine the appropriate way to respond. Responsibilities and duties must be clearly identified so individuals are aware of their roles in addressing these risks and controls. COSO developed the three lines of defense model that addresses how specific duties related to risks and controls could be assigned and coordinated within the organization to alleviate the threat. Ultimately, the model is designed to ensure individuals within each line of defense are aware of their full responsibilities and how these responsibilities fit into the organization's overall risk and control structure.

May 16, 2017

Why Teams Often Make Riskier Decisions Than Individuals (and What You Can Do About It)

Dr. Brad Kirkman, General (Ret.) H. Hugh Shelton Distinguished Professor of Leadership, NC State University Poole College of Management, Shares his insights about how decisions made by teams may actually introduce more risks than when decisions are made individually. He also provides tips for how to counter that concern.