Early warning signals in operational risk, enterprise risk management (ERM), and crisis management environments are often present before disruption becomes visible.

In this segment, Bruce McIndoe explains why these signals frequently fail to trigger action. He highlights how ambiguity, fragmentation, and competing interpretations prevent organisations from recognising signals as decision-relevant.

The discussion provides a practical lens on how risk monitoring and business continuity planning (BCP) can be strengthened by improving signal interpretation and escalation.

What You Will Learn

Listeners will gain insight into:

• Why early warning signals are often identified but not acted upon
• How enterprise risk management and crisis management processes interpret signals differently
• Why ambiguity prevents signals from becoming decision-relevant
• How fragmentation across functions delays escalation
• What this means for chief risk officers and business resilience leaders

Why This Matters

Many organisations invest in risk monitoring, enterprise risk management, and business continuity planning to strengthen resilience.

These capabilities depend on more than detection.

Operational resilience requires organisations to interpret signals under uncertainty, prioritise action, and respond before disruption escalates.

This is a critical capability for leaders responsible for risk management, crisis management, and business resilience.

Full Episode

This extract is taken from the full RiskMasters interview with Bruce McIndoe on operational resilience, enterprise risk management, and crisis decision-making.