Develop an Effective Compliance Program

Build compliance into business operations to reduce compliance risk and business drag

Misconduct and noncompliance threatens business

Building a corporate compliance program that can keep up with changing laws, emerging risks and new regulations is increasingly difficult. Only 16% of compliance and ethics leaders feel confident in their ability to add meaningful insights on organizational risk, and less than a third feel confident in their ability to demonstrate the effectiveness of their program.

74% of compliance programs expect business demand for their services to increase in the next 24 months.

Now we do an annual enterprise risk assessment and then we do quarterly updates of risk mitigation plans. [...] It has been a singular tool that not only changed our compliance and my comfort in global risk management, but has really affected the business to do their jobs better.

Sonia Galindo

General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Rosetta Stone, Incorporated

A better way: Build your compliance program into the business

To be impactful, compliance programs must be built into the operations of the business rather than functioning as a separate process tacked onto employee workflows and systems. Gartner helps compliance and ethics leaders reduce business drag by designing effective programs, assessing performance, and developing the right staff skills and partnerships.

Build compliance activities into business operations: (1) Design to be part of business workflow; (2) Coordinate with related assurance activities; and (3) Assess for burden and integration.

Insights you can use

Gartner research provides crucial insight on corporate ethics and compliance with best practice templates and tools to help you build a solid compliance program that minimizes compliance risks and operational drag on the business.

Develop and promote a healthy culture of integrity

The cost of getting culture wrong is high, and many long-held assumptions on corporate culture are proving wrong. Use this infographic to sense-check your understanding of how to build a sturdy compliance program, empower employees and influence company ethics. 

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Reduce business drag with a built-in compliance program

Typical compliance activities function like “bolt-ons” — an unsustainable approach. Download this research report to learn how a built-in compliance program reduces business drag and increases program impact.

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Rethink compliance’s role in culture

Building a strong culture of integrity starts with building strong climates for your employees. Compliance programs need to take all levels of the organization into account, so download the research today to align your efforts to proven best practices.

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Key questions for your functional partners

Similar assurance activities cause unnecessary burden on employees. To avoid this, before launching new compliance initiatives, compliance must first understand functional partners’ activities and use that knowledge to identify areas for closer cooperation. These are the questions you should ask.

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Questions about becoming a Gartner client?

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Report to the board on corporate culture

High-profile cultural failures in the business world increase pressure on CCOs to safeguard against future misconduct. Use this customizable template to lead effective board discussions on company ethics and culture, and outline next steps for compliance risk mitigation and management.

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Accelerate your transition as New-to-Role CCO

New compliance officers face an overwhelming number of tasks during their first few months. The solution? Building a detailed plan. Use the insights, advice and other tools included in this 12-step guide to make an impact in your new role.

Download Guide

Focus on the compliance areas that matter most

Compliance leaders are searching for ways to improve their departments, but competing priorities leave them wondering where to focus attention, time and money. Use our key activities map to build the right plan for your function and the wider organization.

Download Activity Map
Insight Video

Compliance program management: Advancing a culture of integrity

Chief compliance officers and senior executives need to work together to nurture the right corporate culture and develop effective reporting channels. With over 10% of employees having witnessed misconduct in the past year alone, it has never been more imperative for businesses to build a strong compliance program. 

Gartner Topic Experts

Gartner’s legal and compliance experts combine industry experience with research expertise. Meet a few of our leaders.

Drew Tanenbaum
Director, Advisory

Dane Yocco
Director, Advisory

Lee Elliott
Director, Advisory

Billy Hughes
Sr Director, Advisory

Dig Deeper With Gartner

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Taking the Right Risks to Grow

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36 Key Legal Activities

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Gartner is a trusted advisor and objective resource for more than 15,600 organizations.

Our legal and compliance research and advisory services are designed to accelerate your speed to execution and ensure decision quality.