ISO 37000:2021

ISO 37000:2021, “Governance of Organisations – Guidance, strives to help businesses handle that increasing burden by providing guidelines and guidance on best practices related to good Governance, which can help position the organisation as highly ethical and gain credibility, integrity and a competitive edge in the marketplace. ABAC™, powered by CRI Group™, is designed to assist in developing processes and systems that help your organisation effectively manage compliance risks and foster a system-wide culture of business integrity. Comply with confidence with ISO 37000!

The components of ISO 37000:2021 provide a viable framework of mechanisms, processes and structures that are internationally recognised as keys to establishing and demonstrating good Governance. 

Those components encompass: 

• Establishing an Operational Purpose
• Defining Core Values In Line With the Purpose
• Utilising Sound Strategies to Achieve Results
• Demonstrating Governing Oversight Throughout the Operation
• Showing Accountability In All Things
• Ensuring Stakeholders Are Engaged In the Process
• Showing Ethical and Effective Leadership
• Recognise Data as a Valuable Resource for Decision Making
• Realising Uncertainty and Its Role in Risk Management 
• Maintaining a Transparent Role In Society
• Demonstrating Viability and Responsibility Toward Future Generations

Used as a framework for an organisation’s governance system, ISO 37000 can help the business look beyond its self-interests and towards the general needs of society. Demonstrating sound and good Governance not only builds outside trust in the organisation, but evidence also shows that such practice improves business performance and contributes to social and environmental integrity.

The standard applies to any size private, public and not-for-profit organisation with the intent to demonstrate social responsibility and a desire to utilise good Governance to position the organisation and society for success.

Good governance risk management practices can reduce the likelihood and impact of unintended results from business decisions that could cause potential harm to the organisation, the environment, or society in general. And while risk is a factor in all successful business practices, a proactive risk management framework – which assesses, treats, communicates, monitors and reviews risk – will protect the business and equip and enable the organisation to take appropriate risk and take advantage of future opportunities.

Organisations of any type or size can benefit greatly by practising good Governance, starting with highly effective performance, responsible stewardship and ethical behaviour. And those benefits extend further, as the practice of good Governance (and the resulting compliance certification):

• Helps increase organisational effectiveness, sustainability, accountability and fairness.
• Fortifies systems, methods and processes to spot red flags and help avoid significant incidents.
• Builds a higher level of trust among stakeholders, shareholders and the public.
• Demonstrates that the organisation is acting with integrity, transparency and accountability.
• Establishes credibility in the marketplace as the organisation is viewed as making a conscientious investment in responsible management.
• Provides a competitive advantage among potential business partners who perceive a well-governed organisation.
• Mitigates the potential risk of failure within the organisation’s systems.
• Conforms to the internationally recognised and widely advocated regulatory requirements of an effective corporate compliance program.
• Helps establish an integrated management system basis that lends to conformity with other standards such as ISO 37002:2021 (Whistleblowing Management Systems), ISO 37301 (Compliance Management Systems) and ISO 37001:2016 (Anti-Bribery Management System).

• Private organisations: the company at large, a business unit or a subsidiary
• Public organisations: administrations, services, political parties
• Not-for-profit organisations: NGOs, charities, foundations, associations

Using a recognised set of guidelines like ISO 37000 demonstrates your organisation’s commitment to managing your governance program in a profession al way that meets or exceeds all legal and regulatory requirements.

The Governance Guidelines provide you with the framework that you can apply to make things quicker, more efficient and aligned to International best practices.  Building your governance system according to ISO 37000 helps:

• Build trust with stakeholders by following a recognised framework
• Establish credibility in the market by being seen to invest in managing governance effectively and without retaliation
• Gain a competitive advantage across your competitors by having a more well governed company and one that is seen to take governance and compliance seriously
• Reduce the risk of failures of systems
• contribute to your ESG credibility

ABAC™ is designed to help develop processes and systems that help your organisation effectively manage compliance risks and foster a system-wide business integrity culture.

1. Safeguard your organisation’s reputation
2. Strengthen your organisation’s position in international business deals
3. Become attuned to new & exiting laws, rules & regulations globally
4. Verify your current compliance management system
5. Correct potential breaches in a swift & effective manner
6. Prove your organisation’s integrity levels & business values
7. Be alerted when the risk of breaching any regulation exists
8. Reduce the risk of prosecution – courts in multiple jurisdictions can consider an organisation’s overall commitment to compliance when determining penalties in corruption-related legal cases

Organisations that are interested in being certified should be preparing themselves now. This preparation should start with the re-structuring of your compliance programme or management system accordingly. ABAC™ can offer recommendations from our network of talented industry consultants with proven track records.

It’s simple to transfer your certification to ABAC™:

Step 1: Contact us. We’ll discuss your current certification and transfer requirements. Provide us your current certificate and your latest audit report.

Step 2: Once the transfer criteria have been met, a transfer quotation shall be produced.

Step 3: Once the quotation is accepted a Transfer Audit will take place either remotely or onsite.

Step 4: Once the transfer audit is successfully conducted and reviewed by our technical team, we’ll issue you a new ABAC™ certificate.