Management Perspectives

I It is without a doubt that the global pandemic has brought with it a myriad of challenges, obstacles, and opportunities for organisations. Not only has it forced our people and organisations to step up, adapt, bounce back, and overcome, but it has clearly differentiated between those who were operating a proactive approach to unforeseen circumstances and those who were reactive. There are several definitions of ‘resilience’ but for the purpose of this article, I am going to offer you the following one by Andrew Zolli: Resilience is the capacity of a system, enterprise, or person to maintain its core purpose and integrity in the face of dramatically changed circumstances. In today’s world, where change and disruption are constant, simply bouncing back is no longer a sustainable strategy. Sustainability is all about survival, but the goal of resilience is to thrive. So how are organisations demonstrating this resilience now more than ever? And more importantly, how can those who are stuck in survival mode learn to thrive in these tumultuous times?
I see resilience not only at an organisational level, but also at a team and an individual level. A truly resilient organisation will strive for resilient people, processes and systems underpinned by strong leadership and strategy, culture and behaviours, preparation, and risk management.
True organisational resilience is about having it on a continual basis. Roffey Park’s research in this field in the UK, talks about organisational resilience needing to be dynamic and contextual, because it changes over time and can get eroded, if not nourished and attended to. You only need to think of the Nokia phone and the Kodak camera to be reminded of how quickly things can change. In fact, organisational resilience has to not only cover operational aspects, it is very much about having that resilience at a strategic level as well.
The life-cycle of resilience should not begin in the face of change and challenge, but in anticipation, confident that, within our control or not, change will occur and challenges will present themselves. Organisations which not only pre-empt change, but accept it, are the ones who thrive (even amidst a challenge as monumental as a global pandemic). These are the organisations who have the processes and systems in place to leverage resources, manage risks, lead people through change, and sustain business as usual despite less than idyllic circumstances. Work by Cranfield University describes this phase of resilience as ‘preventative control and mindful action’. The focus is on preventing losses, either by standardised procedures and back-ups, or through empowering employees to make quick, informed decisions in response to threats.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, leadership, culture, and behaviours come to the forefront, and a focus on the people of the organisation is essential. There are a number of important traits that nourish and sustain resilience at an organisational level. The first might seem surprising, but it is often down to its core purpose and values—are they clear and inspiring for employees to get behind? Are they articulated and demonstrated by all? Research by Glint conducted in 2020 revealed that the most resilient organisations are those where employees readily observe the stated culture and values in action. The employees within these organisations were 11 times more likely to believe their organisation would bounce back from setbacks quickly and eight times more likely to believe they could be more productive during times of uncertainty.
An organisation’s response to a crisis is a reflection of its leadership capabilities. As we enter 2021 with continued uncertainty and challenges to face, resilient leaders must step up and sustain—sustain their ability to lead, sustain their people, and sustain the organisation’s value creation.
For most of us, this will be the most extraordinary leadership challenge of our career. Resilient leadership to me looks like

Self-awareness: Am I managing my energy? Am I showing up for my employees? Am I practising the values and culture of my organisation? Am I leading by example?
Vulnerability: Am I openly communicating with my employees? Am I openly sharing information? Am I demonstrating empathy and a level of understanding with the people of the organisation?
Empowerment: Do my employees feel empowered to make decisions and respond to threats? Am I promoting and encouraging shared leadership across the organisation?

Sustaining the people of an organisation requires empathy and the courage to have difficult conversations. With people undergoing unprecedented levels of stress, loss and uncertainty, empathy should be at the core of leadership. Organisational resilience requires leaders who are capable of making critical decisions under extreme circumstances of stress and uncertainty, and it is courageous (and often difficult) conversations that will allow leaders to sustain their people.
The sustainability of the organisation’s value creation requires organisations to strike a balance between playing defence and offence. During a crisis, it is often our default to play defence in order to protect our people and our business, however, true resilient organisations will strive to proactively envision and take action towards where they need to steer the organisation in the future.
How will organisational resilience come to the fore post-pandemic? The beauty of challenge and change is that they force us to grow, both on a personal level and an organisational level. We have all heard the old adage ‘if you’re not growing, you’re dying’ and this is certainly true from a long-term perspective. In a world full of constant change, maintaining the status quo is setting your organisation up for passive regression. Sure, you may survive, but in order to thrive we must see this pandemic not only as disruption, but also as an opportunity for growth. Resilient organisations will look to the future and proactively seek to understand the longterm impact Covid-19 will have on the people, processes, and technology within that organisation. How will your organisation emerge from this historical event? Will it survive or will it thrive? Some organisations will go through it, but the resilient one will grow through it. This adversity is temporary; the resilience gained by overcoming it will be everlasting.