LRN Corporation has unveiled its 2026 Ethics & Compliance Program Effectiveness Report, which provides an in-depth analysis of how ethics and compliance programs globally are addressing the dynamics of change in technology, regulations, and trust. The LRN report, titled The Next Leap: Technology, trust, and the transformation of compliance, is informed by insights collected from over 2,500 ethics and compliance professionals.
The findings indicate that although most organizations have managed the recent global, economic, and social challenges well—the perception of the respondents is that 81% of the organizations responded well—the performance gaps still exist. E&C programs are becoming more sophisticated, but many are stuck in transition, having adopted new technologies without fully integrating them into daily operations.
“As the global environment of ethics and compliance continues to shift, strong programs are essential for growth,” said Bob Lemmond, CEO of LRN Corporation. “This report emphasizes the need for a reset of trust and integration of ethics with technology in compliance programs to ensure ethical workplace culture, accountability, and technological advancement.”
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One of the report’s central themes is the widening divide between high- and low-impact E&C programs. High-performing programs are nearly twice as effective in using data and analytics to identify risk trends, measure culture, and improve training. Many organizations still depend on manual monitoring. Only 34% use data analytics to check compliance efforts.
The research shows regional differences. North America and Europe have a more advanced use of compliance technology. In contrast, APAC is still developing from a lower starting point. Internally, middle management is a weak link. Only 58% of employees feel their managers follow the same ethical standards they expect from others. Board-level oversight is another concern, as fewer than half of organizations report regular board review of E&C metrics.
Third-party risk management is gaining attention, but adoption remains uneven. Only 27% of organizations conduct third-party due diligence, compared with more than half of high-impact programs.
“The 2026 Program Effectiveness report confirms that E&C leaders are at an inflection point, where tech adoption and smart data utilization will make or break successful programs,” said Ty Francis, MBE, Chief Advisory Officer at LRN Corporation. “Transformation is driven by how technology is applied, and requires a reset of trust and priorities between leaders, employees, and regulators to embed integrity at every level.”
The report highlights that the future of compliance depends on how well organizations connect technology, data, and human values. This alignment is key to building trust and resilience.
