Impediments to Communication in Financial Institutions: Implications for the Risk Management Organization

Abstract

This article investigates the question of how risk management should be embedded in a financial firm’s hierarchy. We answer this question by combining capital market theory with game-theoretic thinking. We develop a theory for the integration of risk management into an organization, based on private information and differences in preferences. Our model compares the payoffs from uninformed decision-making, solo decision-making, joint voting decision-making, and coordinated decision-making when information about a project’s expected return and risk is dispersed in the organization. Our findings have a number of implications for the organization of risk management.