In my doctoral thesis “Is it not common sense to do the right thing?” I explore the Telia scandal and the implementation of renewed ethical business practices in the midst of allegations of environmental, social and governance lapses. I argue that the call for formal ethics and compliance work may risk becoming counterproductive if the informal aspects are not acknowledged and the work become too personified. 

I encourage executive management and the Board of Directors to assess the effectiveness of the compliance work by how “uncomfortable” it feels and to make sure the discomfort is not carried by individuals, but by the organisation. Compliance work that is not perceived as” uncomfortable”, and that is person dependent, will likely not be have a lasting impact.