Connect and Reflect

To succeed in the modern world, businesses must move away from defensive old-style news management and corporate positioning. ICAEW argues that if companies embrace a positive approach to corporate governance that ensures they connect with and reflect society, they will reap many benefits.

In a world where communication is immediate, global and uncontrolled, businesses must connect with and reflect society in their corporate governance.

Connect and Reflect describes an approach to communications which will benefit all stakeholders and lead to operational changes which will support this development.

Many existing approaches to corporate communication stereotype members of the general public as distrusting and cynical, and to some extent it has become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

To overcome this polarisation, companies should tailor their communications, replace caution with candour and become more accessible.

In the Connect and Reflect series, ICAEW will be publishing five papers examining this issue.

Connect and Reflect reports

Marking governance out of 10

May 2021

Marking governance should underpin work on corporate culture, risk management and board evaluations. Confident companies will welcome an in-depth analysis which highlights any weak areas which can be improved. In time investors and other stakeholders are likely to pay as much attention to governance marks as they do to audited accounts.

Why company directors should use social media

May 2020

Directors should start using social media to engage with all stakeholders. Social media attracts an enormous number of users, including company employees, suppliers, and existing and new customers. In this ICAEW Connect and Reflect report, we describe the benefits of social media for directors.

How whistleblowing helps companies

April 2019

The latest ICAEW Connect and Reflect report shows how whistleblowing can help companies and provides an action plan for boards. We explore the five benefits of whistleblowing for companies and then outline the five-point action plan that boards can implement in order to maintain their systems of checks and balances.

How employee directors add value

October 2018

In this Connect and Reflect report, ICAEW urges boards to consider the value that employee directors can bring to their organisation. The publication explains the role and responsibilities of employee directors and outlines a five-point action plan that should enable boards to take this step to improve their corporate governance.

How to end excessive pay

May 2018

Our first application of the Connect and Reflect approach looks at how organisations can tackle excessive executive pay. It requires connecting with the public on pay, reflecting on what is said and taking action if it is required. In this paper we examine the challenges and provide a 10-step action plan to support boards in their approach to remuneration of executives.

Get involved

ICAEW will be publishing a series of papers tackling controversial issues in practical terms. Share with us your experiences, thoughts and anecdotes about how companies thrive on social media, how whistleblowing helps companies, how employee directors add value, how to end excessive pay and how to mark governance out of 10.

Other thought leadership

Dialogue in Corporate Governance - addresses five questions which affect the foundations of existing corporate governance frameworks.
Beyond the myth of Anglo-American Corporate Governance - Contrasting US and UK corporate governance systems and to help promote understanding of pressures and opportunities that arise in increasingly international capital markets.

What else we do

Corporate Governance representations - ICAEW responses to consultations related to Corporate Governance.
ICAEW Corporate Governance Community - stay up to date with the latest news and developments in corporate governance.