I recently saw a LinkedIn post with a compelling photograph of a smiling police officer and the caption, “Internal Auditors Are Not the Organization’s Police Force.” My first instinct was to agree with the post, but I reflected on the fact that many are seen as playing the role of corporate cop – some by their own choice, some by the choice of management.
Those internal auditors who choose to be “the police” by the way they execute their roles should never complain about relationship struggles they might endure. Choices have consequences.
But as I have observed in my blog over the years, the reality is that many internal auditors are asked to assume responsibilities involving corporate investigations.…