Business continuity and risk management at a strategic level: Case study of the Flemish government

The Flemish government comprises a number of different departments and agencies with the autonomy to optimise their service level in a proactive and resilient manner. Recently, the Flemish government defined four organisational values: openness, decisiveness, trust and agility. In addition, the Internal Audit Agency developed guidelines concerning internal control and organisational management, in which risk management was emphasised. In combination with goal setting and process management, this paper considers risk management as a starting point for the overall management of Flemish government entities. The paper then develops tools to support the establishment of business continuity and risk management processes. These tools fit into the organisation’s strategic framework and are easy to understand, pragmatically designed and flexible in their use. The paper goes on to illustrate how the Department of the Chancellery and Public Governance is implementing BCM and risk management, and how it is integrating BCM, risk management and crisis management. It will then focus on the Flemish government’s long-term strategy across the boundaries between the different entities and the question of how risk management can become a useful tool for policy makers.