Banks, Risk, Culture: What Role Does The Culture of Society Play In Banks’ Behaviour?

The role of the wider society in shaping the culture and risk profile of banks and other organisations might be more important than most people think. Understanding that role is extremely important for bank executives and risk professionals if they are to build organisations that are sustainable, economically and competitively, in the long term.

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Human Risk 3: Why Banks, Organisations Must Rethink Their Approach

This is the third in a series of articles on Human Risk. The first two can be found here and here.

It is commonly acknowledged that a primary cause of the last financial crisis was the poor culture and values within the banking industry—superstar bosses with big egos, greed and the failure to challenge management have all been identified as having played a major role. This assertion has been supported with reference to the likes of Fred Goodwin of RBS, Dick Fuld of Lehman Brothers and Stan O’Neal of Merrill Lynch who have all been named in Time magazine’s list of 25 People to Blame for the Financial Crisis.

If personal skills and attributes were indeed a major cause of the financial crisis then we must conclude that the failure of HR was as much to blame as the failure of traditional risk management.

Human Risk 2: A Much Bigger Risk Than Most People Think

Human Risk 2:  A Much Bigger Issue Than Most People Think

This is the second in a series of articles on Human Risk. The first can be found here.

It has been one week since the first article on human risk and the feedback has been more than interesting. Some believe that the management of human risk begins and ends with recruitment, retention and promotion, the traditional HR view of human risk. Others acknowledge that human risk goes beyond HR considerations but also believe that managing process risk is way more important than managing human risk.

This article will emphatically illustrate why both these assertions are wrong.

Human Risk: The Bond Salesman That Wasn’t

No sooner had I launched a series of articles on Human Risk, the first of which can be accessed here, than I find this amazing story:

What Is Your Organisation Doing About Human Risks?

This is the first is a series of articles on human risk.

What is human risk? Do you believe that the management of human risk is important? How important is human risk to your particular organisation? Do you believe that your organisation is doing enough to manage human risk? Is the management of human risk the responsibility of HR or is it more important than that?

Bank Risk Culture: An Alternative View On The Causes Of The Last Financial Crisis

The following is the sixth in a series of articles on bank risk culture. The previous articles can be accessed here or by clicking the HOME tab on the blog.

A total meltdown in any system requires nothing less than a total rethink of the way forward.

Legislators and regulators have blamed the subprime financial crisis on a whole host of issues including derivatives, proprietary trading, deregulation, the collapse of Glass Steagall and the integration of retail and investment banking, as well as the overall failure of risk management and corporate governance. What we have learned so far in this series of articles is that the actual reasons are somewhat different as they relate to the overall culture of banking.

Bank Risk Culture: Why Leadership At The Top Is Single Biggest Source Of Risk

The following is the fifth in a series of articles on bank risk culture. The previous articles can be accessed here or by clicking the HOME tab on the blog.

No discussion of risk and culture is complete without examining the role of leadership in defining both. This week’s article will demonstrate that poor leadership is the single biggest source of risk to an institution. It is also a source of risk which no amount of risk management or focus on risk culture can overcome.