Header

Search
Department of Finance

Baiba Renerte receives Academic Excellence Fellowship for outstanding research project

What Makes a Company Tick? Behavioral Perspectives on Integrity and Culture

Dr. Baiba Renerte is a senior research associate at the UZH Department of Finance. Her work explores behavioral governance by bridging academic insights with practical applications.

Baiba is one of nine young researchers who have received an Academic Excellence Fellowship for their outstanding research project from the UZH Alumni Research Talent Development Fund (FAN).

Interview

Dear Baiba, it’s nice to meet you, and congratulations on receiving the Academic Excellence Fellowship! Could you tell us a about your award-winning research project?

Thank you, I’m very grateful for the recognition. Most companies say they want an ethical culture, but how can they tell if they’re making progress? This question lies at the heart of my project. I’m fascinated by how abstract values like integrity can be made concrete and measurable. My work combines quantitative and qualitative research in behavioral economics and organizational ethics to explore how large global companies are seeking to turn value statements into verifiable practice – translating integrity, which is one of the most frequently cited corporate values, into something that can be observed, tested, and strengthened.

The project looks at whether and how large global companies currently measure ethical culture, where these efforts might fall short, and how we might do better by using behavioral insights and AI. The goal isn’t to criticize what companies do – in fact, many are making great progress – but to help them ground their good intentions in scientific evidence, achieving greater impact from their investments in this area. I aim to bridge rigorous research and the organizational realities I know well from experience. Having worked in both academia and industry, I’ve seen value in these two worlds truly learning from each other. 

This is a very exciting research topic, as many large companies place great importance on maintaining a strong corporate culture and invest heavily in achieving it. But how successful are they really in reaching this goal? What are the key findings from your current research?

True, over the past few years, we’ve seen a clear shift: behavioral science is no longer confined to HR or marketing; it’s moving into the heart of audit, risk, and compliance. Some firms even have dedicated behavioral-science teams embedded in these functions. That’s an encouraging development – but it also calls for new skills, mindsets, and above all, evidence.

In my current research at UZH, we examine the effectiveness of ethical “decision aids” – short reflection prompts designed to help employees pause and consider their choices. These tools are widely used in organizations, yet our findings show that their actual impact depends on how they’re applied and by whom. Passive exposure – such as listing them in a code of ethics – achieves little, while active engagement can indeed inspire those already motivated to act ethically. Yet, intriguingly, the same questions can backfire among those less inclined, reinforcing self-justification rather than reflection.

This pattern illustrates what is known as motivated moral reasoning: the right questions only work if we genuinely want the right answers. Used thoughtfully, they help us recognize the gap between what is and what should be – but when used defensively, they risk legitimizing the very behaviors they were meant to prevent. Behavioral tools are powerful, but they require careful design and testing. 

Can you tell us more about how you actually became interested in this area of research?

I’ve always been fascinated by the subtle gap between what people intend to do and what they actually do. Before returning to academia, I had the privilege of conducting behavioral science research in ethics and compliance within a large multinational company. That experience was truly formative – it showed me how much potential there is when organizations take human behavior seriously and design systems that foster responsible decisions.

Ethical behavior is rarely about individual virtue alone; it’s shaped by the environment – the norms, expectations, and everyday signals people receive. This realization continues to guide my research. I’m interested in how we can design organizations where culture and incentives align to bring out the best in people. Ultimately, my work is grounded in the belief that all organizations can be powerful enablers that achieve results while contributing positively to society.

You also teach “Behavioral Corporate Governance, Ethics and Compliance” at the University of Zurich. How do bachelor's students react to this topic? Are they aware of the significance of this area of research?

In class, we dissect a range of real cases of corporate scandals and explore the psychological and organizational forces behind them. Designing and teaching this course from scratch has been one of the most rewarding parts of my work at UZH. The students respond with real curiosity – and with the kind of challenging questions every lecturer hopes for. Many are already deeply attuned to issues of fairness, sustainability, and purpose, yet they’re often surprised by how much behavioral science can reveal about why good people sometimes make bad decisions.

These discussions often spark a deeper realization: that ethics isn’t just about avoiding wrongdoing, but about understanding the systems and incentives that shape behavior every day. I have the impression that for this generation, ethics isn’t a separate topic from business; it is business. They don’t see responsibility as a constraint; they see it as a core strategy for long-term value creation. My goal as a lecturer is to give them the analytical and behavioral tools to turn that conviction into action.

Are there any future projects you’d like to tell us about?

Absolutely. The fellowship project is really the first chapter in a broader story about behavioral governance and organizational behavior. The next phase dives into what financial regulators describe as “risk culture.” Together with collaborators from the private sector, we’ll examine how specific governance mechanisms shape ethical and risk-related behavior.
 
From there, the research expands into longer-term questions I plan to pursue. I’m intrigued by how behavioral ethics connects with public policy – for example, why some companies see paying taxes as part of their social contract while others approach it as a strategic game. I’m also exploring behavioral interventions to counter organizational short-termism – helping firms balance immediate pressures with long-term purpose.
 
And then, of course, there’s AI. Much of today’s debate focuses on making AI more responsible, yet less attention is paid to how it reshapes human decision-making. As my previous studies show, even well-intentioned tools can backfire if used mechanically. Understanding those dynamics will be crucial as technology becomes a co-pilot in governance.
 
What keeps me excited about this work is seeing ideas turn into change – when rigorous research becomes something that actually improves how organizations lead and learn.

Thank you so much for your interesting insights! We’re looking forward to future updates. All the best with your research and your ongoing work with corporations.

More information:

Cornelia Kegele

Back to news overview

Subpages