Why Companies Ignore Warning Signs Until It's Too Late

An in-person evening with Professor Paul A. Argenti, followed by a panel discussion with EACD Chapter Netherlands. Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) and EACD Chapter Netherlands invite you to an in-person evening at Erasmus University Rotterdam with Professor Paul Argenti on why organisations delay action even when warning signs are already visible. Organisations rarely get into serious trouble because leaders have no warning. More often, the signals are there, but responding requires difficult choices at precisely the moment when growth is strong, investors expect continued performance and changing course appears costly. Drawing on examples from technology, pharmaceuticals, consumer products and social media, Professor Argenti will introduce a four-phase framework showing how early warning signals can become broader stakeholder concerns, how those concerns mobilise powerful institutions, and how regulation, litigation and other external constraints can eventually narrow a company’s strategic freedom. The central challenge is not simply one of reputation or communication. It is one of strategy and leadership: how do executives recognise when an emerging stakeholder concern signals a fundamental change in the operating environment, and act while meaningful choices still exist? Professor Argenti will also explore how leaders can identify warning signs earlier, bring emerging risks into senior-level decision-making and use stakeholders as an early-warning system rather than simply an audience to manage. Panel discussion with EACD Chapter Netherlands Following the keynote, Professor Argenti will be joined by two senior members of EACD Chapter Netherlands to share practical perspectives and real-world experiences. Programme 17:00 – Welcome reception 17:30 – Joint welcome by RSM and EACD Chapter Netherlands 17:35 – Keynote by Professor Paul A. Argenti 18:10 – Panel discussion with Professor Argenti and EACD Chapter Netherlands 18:35 – Audience Q&A 18:45 – Networking drinks About Professor Paul Argenti Paul Argenti is a pioneer in the field of corporate communication and has been a Visiting Professor at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) for more than 25 years. At RSM, he teaches in the Executive Master in Corporate Communication and contributes to masterclasses in areas including crisis communication, leadership and communication, and corporate responsibility. He taught some of the earliest courses in corporate communication at Harvard Business School, Columbia Business School and Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. He is the author of Corporate Communication, the first textbook in the field and now in its eighth edition. Paul has advised and delivered training for hundreds of organisations, including ING, Mitsui, Novartis and Goldman Sachs, and is a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review.