This week, I published the second edition of my book Agents of Change with a slightly different title: Agents of Change: Internal Auditors in the Era of Permacrisis. Some might wonder why I would revise a manuscript that is only three years old. The answer is in the title. The 2020s have wrought unprecedented volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity in what is becoming known as an era of permacrisis – a seemingly permanent state of crisis.

I wrote the first edition of Agents of Change in 2020, amid the dark and uncertain first year of the COVID pandemic. In that original book, I made a number of references to COVID’s unprecedented disruptions as they were unfolding. None of us would fully grasp the transformational change spawned by the pandemic until after the book was published.

Fortunately, COVID has been largely contained and is almost a distant memory. But, in its wake, we have experienced the worst unemployment in 90 years, the highest rate of inflation in more than 40 years, the most aggressive monetary policies by central banks in decades, the most significant war in Europe in 80 years, the most serious conflicts in the Middle East in a half century, failures in the banking industry, endless climate-induced catastrophes, and almost unprecedented political divisions.

It was against this backdrop that I re-partnered with veteran writer Robert Perez to update Agents of Change. My intent with this second edition is to be a beacon that shines a light on imperatives and opportunities that the permacrisis presents for internal audit practitioners at all levels.

In the 2020s, the very foundations upon which our organizations exist are being transformed. As internal auditors, we simply cannot be passive observers. We must be catalysts for enterprise transformation that creates value within the organizations we serve.

To be sure, we add value when our assurance engagements identify corrective measures that need to be undertaken. And we certainly add value when we impart advice as our organizations’ trusted advisors.

But our objectives should not be limited to assurance and advice. More importantly, we should be influencing positive change that enhances our organizations’ value. This is even more vital when our organizations are subjected to the external forces brought on by permacrisis.

I first wrote about internal auditors as agents of change in a 2015 blog post. In the years since, I have often urged internal auditors to embrace the role and join with others who thrive on change and innovation. We have a unique seat at our organizations’ table. It often affords a 360-degree view of the risks and opportunities facing our stakeholders. We have become adept at highlighting the risks. We must become equally comfortable shining a light on the opportunities.

That’s why the new edition of Agents of Change takes a hard look at how the profession must adapt and change to meet the growing needs of organizations and their stakeholders. Frankly, it sets a high bar that will require us to be agile in updating our processes, cognizant of the cultures in which we must operate, transformational in how we embrace artificial intelligence and other technologies, comfortable in promoting and marketing the value of independent assurance, and advocates for transformational change that enables our organizations to navigate permacrisis.

None of this will be easy. Indeed, there are many among us who will need to reinvent themselves. However, I sincerely believe the desire to effect change burns within every internal auditor. It may be a raging passion for some, or a smoldering ember for others. But it is there.

In the 2020s, the quest by internal auditors to be change agents must be fueled by the extraordinary opportunities that await our organizations, or the existential threats we may face if we sit idly by.

As with the first edition, the new book dives into the “right stuff” that internal audit change agents have in common. Based on a global survey of chief audit executives, we know that business expertise, a strategic mindset, relationship acumen and a passion for innovation are part of change agents’ DNA. In the book, I explore why those skills are even more vital now!

To bring the second edition of Agents of Change to the market, I have partnered with a new publisher, Fina Press. The book is available globally through hundreds of retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Thalia, Booktopia, Waterstones, Amazon India, in paperback and eBook formats. I must express my gratitude to AuditBoard for its sponsorship of this book and my entire catalogue. Without its support, none of this would be possible.

I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on internal auditors as change agents via LinkedIn or X.