Culture – The Board’s Secret Weapon

Course Overview

Developing a strong corporate culture without putting the brakes on business growth

Your organisation’s culture and approach to managing conduct risk make a massive contribution to the revenue generated by your business – not to mention your brand reputation. In the last 15 years, large-scale conduct-related scandals have eroded trust in the Financial Services industry. As a result most of the regulatory priorities are now shaped around the need for ‘good’ business culture, underpinned by individual accountability.

“Positive culture, as I will call it, goes right to the heart of what firms and their staff are, what values they represent and, the positive ethical customs” – Andrew Bailey, CEO,  FCA.  

The FCA will draw conclusions about a firm’s culture as part of its risk assessment. In the most serious of cases, the regulator has the power to withdraw a firm’s authorisation to operate and / or to fine or exclude from the industry those individuals whose conduct falls short of the required standards. Today, there are few more pressing concerns for Boards and Senior Management teams than to promote and maintain ‘good’ organisational culture.

Put integrity at the heart of your business

Creating a good ethical culture can only happen when senior management drives the process.  When it comes to embedding and maintaining strong, ethical organisational culture, effective leaders must act as role models by walking-the-walk and talking-the-talk. There is no better way of ensuring that a strong sense of doing the right things right permeates throughout the firm, from the boardroom to the shop floor – this is further reinforced by the Senior Managers and Certification Regime – SMCR

The Course Agenda

Analysing business cultures

• Research into business cultures
• A useful model to analyse your business culture
• What drives a culture?
• Sub-cultures (and the tensions they create)

Evolving your business culture

• Why change?
• Leadership and rewards
• Internal and external communication
• Stable and destabilised cultures

Positive and negative indicators: the regulator’s perspective

• What is the regulator’s definition of Culture
• How do firms know whether they are meeting the regulatory expectations and requirements?
• What are the measures of success?
• What evidence might the regulator be looking for and what questions might it ask?
• What does ‘good’ look like from the regulator’s perspective
• How does culture tie into conduct risk and SMCR?

Embedding a code of ethics in any culture

• The contents of a typical code of ethics
• How are codes developed, introduced and discussed?
• How do codes fit with the business culture?
• Identifying harmonious and discordant behaviour
• Practical tips