Caught in the Middle: The 2025 E&C Programme Effectiveness Report

The 2025 Ethics & Compliance Programme Effectiveness Report builds on LRN’s decade-long research into what drives effective ethics and compliance programmes. This year’s report, based on surveys of over 1,500 E&C professionals and 1,500 employees worldwide, explores how organisations can navigate emerging risks, bridge leadership and employee perception gaps, and build ethical cultures that reduce risk and foster trust.

By analysing key differentiators between high-performing and underperforming programmes, the report provides actionable insights to help organisations strengthen their programmes and drive meaningful cultural change.

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Global Highlights: 

  • Benchmarking drives success 
    High-impact programmes are nearly 2x more likely to leverage benchmarking and analytics to enhance performance. 
  • Leadership perception gaps persist 
    E&C professionals report a 42-point disparity between executives and middle managers on ethical decision-making, while Gen Z employees report the lowest managerial trust levels. 
  • Emerging risks demand attention 
    Medium-impact programmes lag behind by up to 2.3x in areas like third-party due diligence and supply chain compliance. 
  • Persistent challenges remain 
    Top hurdles include outdated systems (64%), regulatory complexity (59%), and resource constraints (55%), highlighting opportunities for technology and innovation. 
2025 E&C Program Effectiveness Report cover mockup