How to Become a Resilient Organization

We have seen monumental changes occur in our world. Whether it’s advances in technology, cyberattacks or economic stagnation, only a resilient organization that is flexible and ready to change can survive.

That’s why organizational resilience has become increasingly important. Organizational resilience is about how well a company anticipates, plans for, and responds to gradual changes and unexpected disruptions in its business environment so that it can continue to operate and thrive.

Companies and people who have found ways to adapt to change, such as remote and flexible working and digital acceleration, have a strategic advantage. If you’re not aware of how to be resilient, you might be unprepared for disruptions.

As a business owner, you need to make sure that your people, processes, and technologies are resilient. Otherwise, your business will have a hard time recovering from setbacks like extended downtime-related financial loss as well as unhappy employees.

What are the characteristics of a resilient organization?

Create an environment for innovation

Employees are your most valuable asset. Encourage them to be innovative, support their creative thinking and teach them how to effectively communicate in your company’s culture. This will empower employees to contribute their knowledge and skills.

An innovative work culture promotes the need for continuous improvement. It also encourages employees to think outside the box and come up with new strategies, which are necessary when dealing with a crisis.

Adapt to meet changing customer needs

Customer-focused companies must understand and adapt to changes in the marketplace, which are often a result of global events. This can be difficult for these companies because their customers’ demands and behavior are influenced by the same events.

Asking these three questions will provide organizations with perspective:

• What are our customers’ behaviors?
• Why do our customers behave that way?
• What do we need to alter to cater to a new set of demands and behaviors?

Overcome reputational and organizational setbacks

Almost every organization will experience some sort of setback, whether it’s a financial issue or something stemming from an operational crisis. However, the resilient organizations will do everything in their power to identify the source of the setback, rectify the damage caused, and make transparent communication with stakeholders.

Rise to the challenge

While you can’t control the challenges your business may face, it’s possible to develop resilience in the face of adversity. Resilience empowers your organization to stand strong and recover quickly.

Tips for Organizational Resilience

Nurture your organization’s resilience by prioritizing the following tactics:

Proactive cybersecurity planning

To help your organization be more secure, you may need to implement guidelines from The International Standards Organization (ISO) or the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework.

Protection of intellectual property (IP)

To keep your organization’s critical intellectual property from being disclosed, you need to have the right employee, contractor, and partnership agreements in place.

Implementation of uptime safeguards

To ensure uninterrupted service, you need to make sure that automatic failover or backup and recovery procedures are in place.

Contingency plan mapping

Protect your business by developing a business continuity and disaster recovery plan that includes contingency plans for events like downtime, evacuations, and more.

It’s tough for business leaders to build a resilient organization on their own. We’re always here to help.