Charlotte Moore, chief content officer, spoke out after the newsreader was suspended over allegations he paid thousands to a teen who sent him sexual images.
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She insisted guidelines can only go so far in making sure all behaviour is correct, so it is therefore important to “change the culture”.
Doing so should ensure people will come forward with any issues, she said.
Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, the chief said: “It is incredibly important that people feel that they can speak out.”
Ms Moore also admitted the broadcaster was “very uncomfortable” following the Edwards saga and said respect must come from all staff – including those who are highly paid and powerful.
She added: “There is a big gulf between what people are paid and the power that exists on any production.
“We have to make sure respect at work is adhered to by everyone in this industry. It’s better to have these conversations than not have them.”
The corporation has launched an investigation into the allegations made against Edwards, which were first revealed by The Sun.
However, Beeb boss Tim Davie has warned this could take a “couple of months or even longer” to complete.
Speaking at Parliament in July, he also said recent events had been a “difficult affair”.
Our original story revealed an apparent failure to investigate claims that a BBC star paid thousands to a troubled teen who sent him sexual images.
This was the first of five public allegations the 61-year-old was faced with.
On the night Edwards was named by his wife Vicky Flind as the suspended star, the BBC revealed he faced more allegations of inappropriate behaviour — this time towards his junior TV colleagues.
The Sun also revealed how bosses probing the newsreader took more than four weeks to respond to a new serious complaint.
They only replied to the whistleblower, a recent ex-Beeb employee, the day after we contacted them about it.
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