There Has to Be a Better Way?

For some, the thought of analyzing data for compliance purposes can be overwhelming, or overly focused on monitoring employees. But what if we approached analytics with curiosity and empathy? On this episode of the Better Way? podcast, co-hosts Zach Coseglia and Hui Chen are joined by Tara Palesh, who leads compliance analytics at Pfizer. With a background in engineering and strategy consulting, Tara views her team’s role as helping compliance colleagues to do their jobs in a better, more focused way. Specifically, she talks about how data analysts can scale up and score data to find and address organizational risk. For companies at the beginning of their data journey, Tara offers thoughts on where to start, as well as the potential of generative AI to transform the compliance space.

In today’s business world, we’re increasingly being asked to make sense of data. But how do we turn numbers into meaningful insights about a company’s risks, culture, and compliance? On this episode of the Better Way? podcast, co-hosts Zach Coseglia and Hui Chen are joined for a second time by R&G Insights Lab’s very own David Yanofsky to go deeper into the world of data storytelling. With a background in data journalism, David talks about how data can be used to tell multiple stories and why context is key to making them meaningful. The three explore various data concepts, such as correlation, causation, magnitude, distribution and flow. Even if you’re not a numbers person, you’ll walk away with a more sophisticated understanding of how data can be useful to help understand and navigate your organization.

Conversations about personal faith can be uncomfortable, especially at work. But in the compliance space, could one’s faith be a motivating factor in decision-making? On this episode of the Better Way? podcast, co-hosts Zach Coseglia and Hui Chen are joined by fellow compliance professional Zara Merchant for a candid conversation about the role of faith in their personal lives and how it shapes their professional conduct. They also explore the intersection of faith and business ethics, the balance between rules-based and values-based compliance, and the role of faith in shaping their moral compass.

Despite the role lawyers play in compliance, only one law school clinic in the United States focuses exclusively on this area. On this episode of the Better Way? podcast, co-hosts Zach Coseglia and Hui Chen catch up with Ropes & Gray alum Danielle Pelfrey Duryea, founding director of the Compliance Policy Clinic at Boston University School of Law. Danielle discusses the clinic’s unique client-centric and experiential approach, which includes real-life client projects and a simulated internal investigation. They also explore the future of compliance education, envisioning collaborations between law schools and other professional programs to collectively address ethical issues with professionals in various industries.

Corporations are increasingly focused on issues related to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. On this episode of the Better Way? podcast, co-hosts Hui Chen and Zach Coseglia explore the world of environmental crimes with Joe Poux, deputy chief of the Environmental Crimes Section at the U.S. Department of Justice. You will be fascinated to hear that environmental crimes encompass much more than pollution cases: worker safety, wildlife and timber trafficking, and animal welfare are all parts of this world that involves organized crime. You will also hear about international law enforcement collaboration in this area from Joe’s work with INTERPOL. It’s an episode not to be missed!

Training is an important part of any compliance program. Rarely, however, do we stop to meaningfully assess the effectiveness of the training. What are people getting out of them? What are the goals of the training and have those goals been achieved? And how can social science research inform how we design and evaluate training? On this episode of the Better Way? podcast, co-hosts Hui Chen and Zach Coseglia, along with the Lab’s behavioral scientist Nitish Upadhyaya, explore ways to reimagine training in order to achieve holistic outcomes for the organization. Along the way, they tackle the challenges of remote training, consider how emerging technology could revolutionize the training landscape, and reflect on how training offers organizations a unique opportunity to listen to employees.

It’s a common phrase in the compliance world: “do the right thing.” But what is “the right thing?” Are there risks to moralizing organizational decision-making? And what happens when two seemingly “right” actions are—or may be—in conflict? On this episode of the Better Way? podcast, co-hosts Hui Chen and Zach Coseglia, along with the Lab’s Dr. Caitlin Handron, explore how culture, context, and individual perspectives impact our understanding of what it means to “do the right thing.”

Better Way? co-hosts Zach Coseglia and Hui Chen preview some trends for the New Year, from where artificial intelligence (AI) will take us to how data and story-telling may help humans and organizations be more effective. Start the year with some provocative thoughts on technology, data, and culture and the role we can play in using and shaping them. 

Wrapping up year one of the Better Way? podcast series, co-hosts Hui Chen and Zach Coseglia share their top themes from the year and discuss how these Better Ways inform the work they do to address organizational challenges. From embracing complexity and expertise to exploring empirical evidence and measuring culture, this episode packs the highlights of 2023 that you won’t want to miss! 

As popular as the phrase “Do the Right Thing” may be, defining the “Right Thing” can be quite a complex and even controversial exercise. On this episode of There Has to Be a Better Way?, NYU Professor Alison Taylor tackles the question of what it means for a business to do the right thing in today’s world, with multiple—and often conflicting—stakeholder expectations. She challenges some common notions such as “bring your whole self to work” and “courage to speak up” with deeper questions that will get you thinking!