What 2011 Holds in Store for Your GRC Program – Five Predictions | Prediction #3

Chris Noell

What does 2011 hold in store for your GRC program? My first two predictions were:

Prediction #1: Greater Focus on Risk Management Capabilities
Prediction #2: Redeployment of Internal Resources

Read below for my third prediction for 2011 GRC programs.

Prediction #3 | Self-Service for Greater Efficiency

GRC staff such as risk, compliance, internal audit, and security personnel define the rules of the game and referee but line managers execute the majority of GRC activity.  In 2011, leading organizations will empower line managers with the technology and corporate-approved processes and content they need to plan and execute their own GRC initiatives, ultimately reducing the cost of GRC and blending it more seamlessly with the organization.

I believe that organizations who adopt such a decentralized approach in 2011 will reap a number of advantages, including lower overhead costs, a better adoption of the GRC philosophy as an integral part of corporate culture, and better knowledge transfer of GRC concepts and control knowledge to line management - all resulting in a deeper, richer GRC program.

This may be threatening to GRC staff at first, as they turn over activities they’ve traditionally performed to line management.  However, at the end of the day, the GRC challenges that need to be addressed are nearly endless.  The truth is  there is a lot more work that needs to get done.   Delegation and decentralization will allow GRC staff to get off the tactical program maintenance treadmill and move on to new risks and compliance challenges the organization faces.

Come back on Thursday, December 16, 2010 to read Prediction #4.