Risk is present in every phase of business, but is not always self-evident. The creation, effective implementation and maintenance of a risk management program can significantly reduce and in some cases eliminate the possibility of a claim against a company, says Michael J. Lucas, CIC, CRM, a partner with Millennium Corporate Solutions.
“Risk management is important to protect the company’s assets from lawsuits and claims,” Lucas says. “Taking a systematic approach to a risk management program will make the process go more smoothly.”
Smart Business spoke with Lucas about how to make the risk management process more effective in your organization.
What are the steps in the process?
The risk management process can be expressed in five general steps: risk identification, risk analysis and prioritization, risk control and loss prevention, risk financing, and risk implementation/administration. Many companies focus on one or two of these and fail to effectively use all of the steps in considering operational, strategic and financial risks that can impact the company at many levels.
Are there keys to effective risk management?
Some of the keys include identifying the company’s hazards/exposures, incorporating all levels of the organization into the process, and elevating the importance of risk management companywide.
There are six general classes of risk that an organization must consider when developing and implementing its own risk management program: economic, legal, political, social, physical and juridical risks. Within these general classes, risks can come from many sources. To make matters worse, risks are changing faster than companies can keep up with ways to manage them.
There are several tactics that risk management professionals can use to help companies stay ahead of the curve. Identifying the company’s corporate culture is a good start. Next, it is very important to establish the company’s risk appetite and tolerance level. This helps determine just how much risk an organization is comfortable allowing. Risk management projects such as installing risk control programs, advanced engineering techniques, and increasing or decreasing deductibles should be strongly considered if the potential benefits outweigh the projects’ costs on a short-term and/or long-term basis.
How does corporate culture affect risk management?
Some corporations are willing to retain more risk than others. Through a risk analysis and by identifying the corporate culture, you can identify whether a specific exposure coincides with the culture relative to the organization’s tolerable risk levels. For example, if a company’s corporate culture is to have high retention on its programs, as far as deductibles are concerned, then it is going to be more comfortable taking on risk because it has controls in place. The company will put more emphasis on and funding into risk management and will elevate its importance in an effort to coincide with its corporate culture and ultimately control its exposures.
