According to Jason Heinrich, a partner with Bain & Company, certain items can be pinpointed to make a difference in corporate culture. "We believe that having the right set of principles can trump tomes of policies," he says.

Heinrich says that internal compliance officers are key in making sure a company's rules are followed from the top down. "To the extent that regulators can help chief compliance officers become more proficient in that, that's potentially the role that they can play."