The influence of security risk management: Understanding security’s corporate sphere of risk influence
Author Identifier (ORCID)
Michael Coole's ORCID record 
Nicola Lockhart's ORCID record Jennifer Medbury's ORCID record
Abstract
Executive Summary: The study investigated the complex issue of the level of influence that security risk management holds within the corporate context. Security risk management has a long history and broad ac ceptance as an essential organizational activity for achieving business objectives. However, the degree of decision-making influence achieved by security professionals is poorly understood, with many corporate security managers and executives anecdotally reporting low levels of corporate influence in managing security threats. Consequently, this study undertook a research-informed approach to the question of corporate security’s current sphere of risk influ ence to gain an understanding of how security’s risk message is received and acted upon across various organizations. The study objectives were to identify profession barriers to achieving effective influence and to uncover recommendations that may assist secu rity professionals achieve stronger risk influence when advising corporate decision makers. The researchers expected participants to provide narratives describing the initial barriers they encountered when trying to influence risk man agement decisions and how they overcame the barriers to achieve robust influence. Several se curity professionals shared such stories, but what emerged from the research is a clear narrative that corporate security lacks influence outside of environments where security is mandated. In situations where security is legislatively man dated, security operated with more of a compli ance focus of practice rather than as a valued risk reduction business enabler. The study found that security risk management has a technically focused, narrow sphere of corporate risk influ ence. The researchers distill this narrow influence into nine key findings, and they recommend four ways the security profession can work to expand its influence and value.
Keywords
security risk management, corporate security, risk influence, decision-making influence, corporate governance, security professionals, risk communication, organizational risk management
Non-Traditional Research Output
Report for External Body
Document Type
Non-Traditional Research Output
Date of Publication
2023
Publisher
ASIS Foundation
School
School of Science
RAS ID
88317
Copyright
© 2023 ASIS Foundation