Why Your GRC Efforts Are Failing

When it comes to designing systems, a common mistake is confusing essential properties with essential parts. This fundamental error explains why many Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) initiatives fall short of their objectives.

⚡️ Learning from Systems Thinking

Russell L. Ackoff's systems thinking principles provide valuable insights:

• Understanding proceeds from the whole to its parts, not from the parts to the whole as knowledge does.

• The essential properties that define any system are properties of the whole which none of the parts have independently.

• Essential parts are necessary for the system to perform its function but are not sufficient on their own.

• Properties derive from the interaction of parts, not from their actions taken separately.

⚡️ The GRC Challenge

GRC efforts will never be effective as long as they focus solely on the individual components. Instead, we must first ask a fundamental question:

"What properties does my information security and privacy program need to deliver that none of the parts by themselves provide?"

The answer is not simply governance, risk management, or compliance. These are merely parts of a larger system, not the essential properties themselves.

⚡️ The Path Forward

The true path forward is to define the system's purpose. Without a clear understanding of what your security and privacy program is ultimately meant to achieve as a unified whole, individual GRC components will remain fragmented and ineffective. By first establishing the system's overarching purpose, you create the foundation for meaningful interaction of governance, risk management, and compliance activities to work together towards providing essential properties.

Only by defining this systemic purpose can you determine these essential properties and how the parts must interact to produce them. This purpose-driven approach transforms GRC from disconnected activities into a cohesive system that delivers genuine value.