Organisations can now access the first open global standard designed to measure and improve risk culture, empowering their capability to survive and thrive during disruption.
The Organisational Risk Culture Standard (ORCS), released today by an international team of risk management and behavioural science experts, addresses a critical gap that has left organisations vulnerable despite comprehensive risk frameworks. Around 70% of organisational transformation initiatives fail to succeed, with the majority of those failures due to weak organisational culture (McKinsey & Company, 2017).
“When risk becomes culture rather than just compliance, organisations don’t just survive disruption, they advance through it,” said Dr Gavriel Schneider, co-author and Chair of the Institute of Strategic Risk Management ANZ. “The ORCS gives us that cultural architecture.”
The standard was developed by Jack Jones (creator of the FAIR quantitative risk model), Dr. Gavriel Schneider (creator of the Presilience® methodology), and Dr. Paul Johnston (behavioural scientist and risk management specialist), alongside Christopher Stitt (Founder and CEO, CrisisLead) and Amanda Barber (Behaviour and Credibility expert). It provides a maturity model covering ten dimensions of risk culture, from leadership and governance to decision-making and technological integration.
ORCS goes beyond compliance checklists and probability calculations to measure the shared values, beliefs, and behaviours that determine how organisations actually respond to uncertainty. The framework integrates with established standards like ISO 31000 and COSO ERM while adding the cultural layer that makes technical frameworks operationally effective.
“A framework without culture will always be a tick-box exercise,” Schneider added. “The ORCS bridges the gap between policy and practice, transforming ‘how we do things’ into a strategic advantage.”
The standard has been validated by an international peer review panel and endorsed by leading professional associations. Todd Tucker, Managing Director of the FAIR Institute, emphasised that while quantitative frameworks provide analytical foundations, “this Standard on Risk Culture addresses the equally critical human and organisational dimensions that determine whether risk management actually succeeds in practice.”
The framework is designed for organisations of all sizes across sectors, from small businesses and pnonprofits to multinationals and public agencies, particularly those operating in volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous, and digitised (VUCAD) environments.
To support global awareness and adoption, the ORCS team is partnering with the Risk Management Institute of Australasia (RMIA) to host the first ORCS Launch Webinar in early December. A second webinar, delivered in partnership with the Institute of Strategic Risk Management (ISRM), will follow in January 2026 for the Europe and Middle East audience.
Organisations supporting ORCS are FAIR Institute, International Foundation for Protection Officers (IFPO), Institute of Presilience®, Australian Security Research Centre (ASRC), Risk 2 Solution, Society of Information Risk Analysts (SiRA), Life Safety Alliance, National Preparedness Commission UK, Institue of Strategic Risk Management (ISRM), and The Crucible Leadership Foundation.
The ORCS is now available as a free download at: www.riskculture.org
About the Organisational Risk Culture Standard (ORCS)
The Organisational Risk Culture Standard (ORCS) is an open global framework that helps organisations measure, assess, and strengthen their risk culture through a structured and evidence-based framework. Designed for boards, executives, risk professionals, and organisational leaders, the ORCS offers practical guidance for identifying cultural strengths, addressing behavioural barriers, and embedding capability uplift.
Learn more at www.riskculture.org.
Media Contact
ORCS Team
References
McKinsey & Company (2017), ‘The people power of transformations.’
Upcoming Events
RMIA x ORCS | The Organisational Risk Culture Standard (ORCS): Redefining How We Understand and Measure Risk Culture
In this session, Jack Jones and Dr Paul Johnston – two of the ORCS authors – will share insights on the development and real-world application of the standard. Hosted by Simon Levy, CEO of RMIA, the discussion will explore how the ORCS empowers organisations to turn risk culture into a strategic advantage and create more resilient, high-performing teams.
Event Details
Time: 12:30pm – 1:30pm AEDT
Date: 2 December 2025
Venue: Online
Register for free: https://www.rmia.org.au/risk-management-events/rmia-orcs-redefining-how-we-understand-and-measure-risk-culture
ISRM x ORCS | The Organisational Risk Culture Standard (ORCS): Building Risk Culture Capability Across Global Contexts
In this ISRM-hosted session, ORCS Co-Authors Jack Jones and Dr Gav Schneider will explore how the standard can be applied across international regions. The discussion will examine behavioural, strategic, and cultural factors that drive risk culture maturity and demonstrate how ORCS can enhance decision-making, governance, leadership capability, and organisational resilience. With moderation by Dr David Rubens, this global webinar will provide practical insights and frameworks for senior leaders, risk professionals, and consultants looking to elevate risk culture from a compliance obligation to a strategic enabler.
Event Details
Time: 11:00am GMT / 9:00pm AEST
Date: 29 January 2026
Venue: Online
Register for free: https://www.theisrm.org/the-organisational-risk-culture-standard-orcs-building-risk-culture-capability-across-global-contexts/
