The global pandemic, economic slowdown and tightening insurance markets have driven business leaders to reconsider every aspect of their organizations, from safety and security to talent management and basic HR policies.

Risk leaders are making decisions in a fluid and uncertain environment where the longer-term horizon remains unknown, knowing that the outcome may determine whether their organizations survive this time of transition.

Some businesses were already well positioned to succeed in this environment, but the vast majority will need to adapt to these new threats quickly. Their leaders will need to rethink their distribution channels, their supplier networks, their products and services -- and ultimately their core business strategies.

Those new business strategies will require a renewed focus on the core principles of risk management.

Recalibrate Your Risk Appetite

An organization’s financial and strategic objectives are key in determining the risk-averse or risk-seeking posture of the organization. As the landscape changes, it is likely that, so too will the amount of risk the organization is willing and able to take on. Companies that have a firm understanding of risk, and a grasp of how to navigate and leverage risk, are the ones that ultimately avoid pitfalls and find opportunity.

Some organizations are managing risk based on outdated assumptions and following program structures that have been in place for 10 or 20 years. Their coverages, limits and deductibles have stayed the same even as their balance sheets have changed dramatically in the wake of a global health crisis and a slowing economy. But decisions can’t be made based on what was known yesterday. This is akin to leaving your car insurance with no deductible after your kids leave home. You don’t have the same risk, and you’re better prepared to handle the fluctuation of loss, so it’s time to raise the deductible.

Organizations should engage in a similar analysis. The combination of the pandemic and hardening market has complicated the risk financing decision making process. This has resulted in the need for organizations to take a hard look at the impact of the pandemic and new economic realities on their balance sheet and risk profile.

As balance sheet metrics change, so too does risk-bearing capacity. By analyzing and modeling data in a meaningful way, and understanding an organization’s cost of risk, leaders can make fact-based decisions to better deploy funds and drive the value of insurance that they ultimately decide to purchase. Organizations are also better positioned to market their program to carriers and drive lower premiums when they utilize their data in these ways.  Change can be the driver of opportunity. 

Quantify the Financial Impact of New Risks

The current environment has introduced new risks and raised the importance of a risk management approach that is grounded in strong principles while also spurring the development of innovative ways to mitigate and transfer those exposures.

For example, supply chain has always been a key part of risk analysis, but managers may have previously assumed a supply chain was stable as long as there was more than one supplier. But having multiple suppliers may not help if they are all in the same geographic location or have similar dependencies that could ultimately impact production. With the help of diagnostics, risk leaders can gauge how well their supply chains are protected against a range of potential disruptions.

Similarly, as the economic consequences of the pandemic started to be felt, many employers began to review the costs associated with health care, retirement and pension, and compensation. When assessing options, leaders should utilize the data at hand and leverage analytics, so that they can identify areas where they can balance the impact of cost savings with the organization’s long-term needs and business strategy.

Risk Management as a Competitive Advantage

In today’s environment, yesterday’s risk management approach is not the optimal way to drive value for the organization.

Financial modeling, risk quantification and other analytical tools can help create a fundamentally sound risk posture that can be effectively marketed to reduce premiums and better optimize spend across the portfolio.

But risk management can have a larger impact. By looking at factors such as cash flow and liquidity and their alignment to a risk management strategy, organizations can take advantage of opportunities that emerge even in these challenging circumstances.  If an organization can mitigate a risk that others cannot and figure out a way to create a business around it, you have differentiated risk management. The organization is positioned to come out of this stronger and poised for growth.

With a combination of data, analytics and technology, risk leaders can transform the risk department from a cost center to a value generator.