Organisational culture can be a powerful driver of performance, conduct and risk, yet it remains one of the most challenging governance responsibilities facing directors.

In this episode, we're joined by Dr Juliet Bourke, Adjunct Professor at UNSW and Chair of Ovarian Cancer Australia, and Sally Linwood, Corporate Governance Lead at the AICD and lead author of an important new guide, Governing Culture in a Complex World. Drawing on the guide's five principles for governing culture, they explore what effective oversight looks like in practice.

Together, they discuss why culture is a boardroom priority, how directors can develop a deeper understanding of what's happening across their organisation, the indicators boards should be paying attention to, and why human capital expertise deserves a stronger voice in today's boardrooms.

We cover:

• (03:10) Why organisational culture has become one of the board's most important governance priorities.
• (10:00) Why culture is so difficult to measure, and how boards can identify the "say-do gap".
• (11:20) Practical ways directors can gain a more accurate picture of organisational culture through site visits, stakeholder engagement and multiple data sources.
• (14:30) How board behaviour, leadership and "tone from the top" shape culture throughout an organisation.
• (19:30) What boards should do when culture has drifted off course.

Learn more:

• The AICD's guide on Governing Culture in a Complex World - https://www.aicd.com.au/news-media/research-and-reports/culture-governance-principles.html

Connect:

• Dr Juliet Bourke on Linkedin - https://au.linkedin.com/in/dr-juliet-bourke-gaicd-44a1824
• Sally Linwood on LinkedIn - https://au.linkedin.com/in/sally-linwood-61457448
• AICD on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/school/australianinstituteofcompanydirectors/
• Kulja Coulston on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kulja-coulston/
• Bennett Mason on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bennett-mason-10517336/

This episode Director Download was produced on the traditional lands of the Gadigal and Wurundjeri peoples. We recognise First Nations peoples' cultural and spiritual relationships to the Skies, Land, Waters, and Seas, and their rich contribution to society.