At the IRM, we have led the debate on risk culture for nearly 30 years. Drawing upon the wealth of practical experience and expert knowledge across the Institute, we have developed guidance for organisations wanting a greater understanding of their own risk culture and the practical tools which can drive change.

As the business press shows daily, embedding reliable risk management into an organisation is a difficult task. Boards must both consistently prioritise risk management and continually review their culture, people and processes.

What do we mean by risk culture?

Risk culture is a term describing the values, beliefs, knowledge, attitudes and understanding about risk shared by a group of people with a common purpose. This applies to all organisations - including private companies, public bodies, governments and not-for-profits.

What does a good risk culture look like?

An effective risk culture is one that enables and rewards individuals and groups for taking the right risks in an informed manner.

Our Risk Culture Framework

We have developed a Risk Culture Framework to help influence the risk culture within any organisation. The diagram simplifies a complex and interrelated set of relationships into a high level approach to the various influences on risk culture.

 Risk culture remains a developing area and what we have produced will not be the last word on the subject. We expect our guidance to evolve as new models and tools emerge.

Guidance documents

We have developed two guidance documents. An Executive Summary aimed at boards and a detailed guidance document for risk professionals. 

IRM's practical guidance

Download your FREE copy of Risk Culture, Resources for Practitioners

Or download the Executive Summary here. 

Download the Risk Culture aspects scorecard here

Practical learning opportunity

Demystifying Risk Culture: Strategies and Techniques for Successful Risk Culture Management

Despite greater awareness of risk culture, few organisations are in a position to properly tackle it.

Our one day practical course will enable you to understand what risk culture means in your organisation. How you can improve risk taking, and how to implement effective risk management techniques.