COMPLIANCE AND TRANSVERSAL COLLABORATION
Collaboration between company units with different functional expertise is the key to boosting the effectiveness of a corporate anti-corruption compliance programme. The basic components of a compliance programme, such as top-level commitment, risk assessment, tailored anti-corruption procedures, communication and training, third-party due diligence, monitoring and review, are interrelated and their success is dependent on collaborative solutions at all levels of the organisation.
The compliance department’s role of coordinating activities is essentially channelled through effective cross-functional collaboration. Nevertheless, it is a common misconception that the compliance department is responsible for all compliance. The different aspects of a compliance programme are handled by the various departments of the company. For instance, the legal department handles the technicalities of a contract, including the adjustment of the anti-corruption clauses, human resources (HR) is responsible for claims pertaining to conflicts of interest or sexual harassment, IT handles cyber security, data privacy and security training, and so on. The compliance function is responsible for certain aspects of compliance directly, but often acts as the driver or backdrop of the company’s compliance efforts. Establishing regular meetings with different departments, along with a robust communications strategy across the organisation, are measures that the compliance unit can use to bring the company’s departments together and to ensure continuous coordination between them.
Apr-Jun 2021 Issue
Dana Ghandour