Category Archives: What we’re reading [category]

Pre-order: Humanizing Rules – Bringing Behavioural Science to Ethics and Compliance

Longtime friend of AretéWork and occasional webinar co-host Christian Hunt is topical with an exciting new book – which is now available for pre-order from Amazon, Bookshop.org – as well as directly from the publisher, Wiley. Amongst other things you’ll find an overview of the… As well as an introduction to Behavioural Science – andContinue reading “Pre-order: Humanizing Rules – Bringing Behavioural Science to Ethics and Compliance”

Why everyone fighting corruption should worry about sprawling rules & regulations

In ‘Corruption from a Regulatory Perspective’ (Hart 2021) Professor Maria de Benedetto makes the case for a less-is-more approach. What sets this book apart from the previous literature is how it brings together numerous related disciplines into a systematic whole – looking at rules and regulations during their “whole life-cycle”. It helps you consider howContinue reading “Why everyone fighting corruption should worry about sprawling rules & regulations”

Currently reading: Corruption from a Regulatory Perspective

Maria De Benedetto‘s new book: “…seeks to enrich and, in some cases, reverse current ideas on corruption and its prevention. It is a long held belief that sanctions are the best guard against corrupt practise. This innovative work argues that in some cases sanctions paradoxically increase corruption and that controls provide opportunities for corrupt transactions.Continue reading “Currently reading: Corruption from a Regulatory Perspective”

Summer reading list

What am I reading at the moment? Well, quite a few different things. I am almost finished with the Fearless Organization by Amy C. Edmondson. I was particularly struck by her description of the different responses and outcomes between Fukushima Daiichi and Fukushima Daini in the earthquake and tsunami of 2011. Fukushima Daini was ledContinue reading “Summer reading list”

3 Useful Questions in Dispute Resolution

I’ve just been reading through a recent report from my long-time collaborator professor Christopher Hodges. It is full of insights, here’s just one quick highlight: Every dispute resolution pathway should be reviewed against its ability to provide satisfactory answers to three questions: How do people identify and access information, advice, support, and assistance in solvingContinue reading “3 Useful Questions in Dispute Resolution”

‘If you want someone to do something, then make it easier…’

One of the points I am constantly making when speaking to audiences large and small is that complicated policies, procedures, guidance, etc are ineffective. This is one of the reasons that values are often more effective than rules. It isn’t necessary to give complicated instructions to ensure that people don’t work around it like youContinue reading “‘If you want someone to do something, then make it easier…’”

What we’re reading: factulness, bad blood, human risk …

Factfulness I am currently reading Factfulness by the late Hans Rosling – and the very current Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Rönnlund. It has some interesting insights topical for Ethical Business Practice. They’re about blame and urgency (see chapters 9-10).  For example: “…blame drives us to attribute more power and influence to individuals than they deserve,Continue reading “What we’re reading: factulness, bad blood, human risk …”

Is it time to replace the Financial Reporting Council?

We welcomed the New Board Effectiveness Guidance from the Financial Reporting Council that came out last year. And we’re reading the Independent review of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) with interest. It contains far reaching recommendations, saying it is time to replace the FRC with a new body, called the Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority. TheContinue reading “Is it time to replace the Financial Reporting Council?”