A culture of compliance and trust
“Microsoft runs on trust” is more than a message at Microsoft— it is at the core of everything we do.
“Microsoft runs on trust” is more than a message at Microsoft—it is at the core of everything we do—and that includes Microsoft ACTS, our Advanced Cloud Transparency Services initiative.
ACTS was formed within Corporate, External, and Legal Affairs (CELA), which is Microsoft’s legal group. As a broader organization, CELA works on the cutting edge of business and regulatory issues around the world, playing a proactive and engaged role in pioneering new transparency solutions.
CELA is all about the business of building trust with our customers. “If you don’t have trust, you’re just not going to be able to partner effectively,” says Becky Lenaburg, VP & Deputy General Counsel, CELA Compliance & Ethics (C&E).
To embed trust at the core of how we operate, Microsoft prioritizes an internal compliance culture.
“Compliance culture is not just about creating training, policies, reporting systems, safeguards, and controls,” says Mike Jackson, Associate General Counsel for C&E Governance, Training, and Culture. “It’s also about emphasizing ethical decision-making at every layer of the business—from leaders to managers, from managers to teams, and from teams to the individuals who are doing deals, making key business decisions, and representing Microsoft with customers, partners, and governments.”
Pictured above: Mike Jackson, Associate General Counsel for C&E Governance, Training, and Culture.
Trust at every layer requires fostering a healthy culture of compliance and ethics. This includes programs such as Microsoft’s Trust Code (aka Standards of Business Conduct) that emphasize the importance of ethical decision-making and show integrity at the center of our culture, values, and approach to business. We reinforce these expectations through programs and resources to support our leaders and employees in making good, ethical decisions. This helps embed our culture of compliance into the very fabric of Microsoft.
Trust is not static
Trust—both internally and externally—must be earned as well as sustained. “A culture of trust is not static,” Jackson says. “Customer, partner, and stakeholder expectations shift frequently, which means that our approach to earning trust necessarily evolves—it’s not a one-time effort.”
A growth mindset, emphasized throughout Microsoft, provides the space to improve, as there’s always room to get better. With technology changing at light speed, new challenges must constantly be addressed, and iterations made. New solutions and tools are enabling our company to enhance its trustworthiness . It’s a never-ending journey.
“A culture of trust is not static. Customer, partner, and stakeholder expectations shift frequently which means that our approach to earning trust necessarily evolves…it’s not a one-time effort”
Mike Jackson
Associate General Counsel for Compliance and Ethics Governance, Training, and Culture
Sharing our trust journey
By sharing this journey, our learnings, and where we still need to go—and by being transparent in how we continue to improve—trust moves outward. That brings us back to ACTS.
ACTS was created and remains within the CELA organization because our culture of compliance builds trust with customers and opens new doors for discussion. We recognize trust is key in helping governments move the needle toward a more proactive risk management approach using ACTS transparency solutions.
“It’s energizing to see customer reactions to ACTS. After hearing about ACTS, people often say, ‘I want that.’ Governments know they need to take action to reduce corruption and create greater transparency for their citizens, but this work is challenging. And so, for our collaboration with the international community, this is a very exciting time to be able to add something new that they’ve been trying to address for a long time,” Lenaburg says.
With trust at the core of Microsoft and initiatives like ACTS, we keep the customer at the center and drive our mission to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more.