Why (and how) leopards can actually change their spots

Viewpoints
July 5, 2021
1 minutes

Following on from our collaboration with Transparency International UK (TI UK) on their recent ‘Make it Count’ report (discussed in our post here), we are happy to announce that we will be working with the TI UK Business Integrity team on its next thought leadership project, too. The project will focus on values-based compliance, a relatively new and exciting area to explore in an anti-corruption context.

While the ‘Make it Count’ report was concerned with why and how companies should measure the effectiveness of their anti-bribery and corruption (ABAC) programmes, the next report will explain how companies can make changes at a cultural level to bring about greater effectiveness, including by leveraging behavioural science.

The research will delve into the relationships between values-based ABAC approaches, culture, and behavioural science, and the more familiar rules-based ABAC approaches. Of particular interest will be an examination of how the combination of a values-based ABAC approach, informed by behavioural science, and a rules-based ABAC approach can work together to reduce corruption risk.

Bribery, corruption, compliance, and culture all have human behaviour as the lowest common denominator, and we are especially keen to work on this project with TI UK to analyse and highlight the ways in which recent behavioural science research can be applied, to change or strengthen organisational culture and compliance as part of a values-based approach. The logic is intuitive – the research and the report aim to help companies to put it into action.

Our R&G Insights Lab team is pleased to be involved in this project, alongside co-sponsors GSK, LexisNexis Risk Solutions, and Norges Bank Investment Management. Zachary Coseglia, Amanda Raad, Dr Caitlin Handron and I will be sure to announce the publication of the report in due course, but any corporates with relevant knowledge or experience are welcome to visit TI UK’s project page for details of how to get involved in the interviews portion of the research.

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R&G Insights Lab is the legal industry’s first-ever offering to focus on analytics and behavioural science. It is a global, integrated, and cross-industry advisory service that combines the dynamic legal team of Ropes & Gray across the globe with world-leading experts in analytics, behavioural science, and creative consulting.

Transparency International is the world’s leading non-governmental anti-corruption organisation.