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…Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think… (Christopher Robin speaking to Pooh Bear. AA Milne)
Introduction to RESILIENCE.
Resilience is a multi-faceted concept. In a psychological sense it may mean the process of adapting well in the face of adversity and significant sources of stress and “bouncing back” from difficult experiences. From an organisational perspective it may relate to the readiness to face challenges and threats. Organisational Resilience And these challenges and threats may come in many shapes and forms, ranging from waste and crime, loss of business, increased competition, more demanding customers, financial pressures and the need to balance flexibility with consistency. Resilience also implies toughness, either developing a personal thicker skin, or driving an organisation to more robust levels of performance. It requires discipline, restraint, effective use of resources and a more assertive approach to getting things done. It frequently requires rapid and firm decision-making, often without all the required information. Some of the decisions that need to be made are tough and unpalatable too. The Nature of Resilience
This wiki addresses many aspects of resilience and will be expanded on a continual basis. Some material is of a background nature, giving insights into the psychological and business aspects of resilience topics, e.g. Extreme Resilience and Training for Resilience, other material is practical and focussed on particular settings, roles or circumstances see Health Service Resilience, Expatriate RESILIENCE, Coastal and Rural Community RESILIENCE, Academic RESILIENCE and Civil and Public Service RESILIENCE.
Dealing with all these issues requires knowledge and skills, often too, attitudes and behaviours need to adapt.
This wiki-workbook provides guidance and insights to develop such robustness, both on a personal and organisational level. There are many topics that may be included within the ambit of this programme. Time is limited and action needs to be swift and decisive. So, what has been done is to collate and synthesise a set of tools and checklists that may be of immediate application.
There is a link between personal and organisational resilience. It is of little use to implement drastic changes and ambitious plans without the human elements being addressed. Indeed, if the human factors are properly managed, it may not be necessary for managers to “drive” changes. An emphasis on the well-being, capability and motivation of employees is utterly fundamental to successful management of changing and uncertain times. The National Workplace Strategy is a framework that encourages the development of these aspects.
RESILIENCE Personal Development is a training programme for personal effectiveness. The principles of the programme may be merged with any other personal or leader effectiveness programme. This is typically delivered on a highly customised basis and may incorporate elements of competency frameworks or be adapted to meet a variety of organisational or personal training needs.
RESILIENCE Toolkit
RESILIENCE Factors
Positive Risk Management involves the early identification and assessment of vulnerabilities, and the implementation of counter-measures. The mnemonic WAECUPILL is applied and this includes the risks of Waste, Accidents, Errors, Crime, Unethical Practice, Information and Legal Liability. These represent key areas that need to be addressed and in many cases, problem awareness alone is a large part of successfully managing such risks. But more needs to be done. This section will review the typical risk reduction strategies.
The effective elimination of waste is a critical element of organizational resilience. The course uses principles from “Lean” manufacturing which have been adapted to a range of other organizational contexts. The TIMWOOD model addresses: transport, inventory, movement, waiting, over processing and over production and defects. These principles are used to identify and manage waste. Once again, awareness must lead to action and a selection of practical tools are introduced.
Organisations and individuals react differently in times of rapid change. Managers and employees need to be able to identify the causes, effects of stress and pressure and take practical steps to minimize the negative effects of unhealthy stress. Stress management options and resources are explored.
To survive and thrive during economically uncertain times organizations need to be creative and innovative. This involves generating ideas for new products, services or means of delivering these, AND being able to make things happen. This module addresses creativity as well as design and implementation of innovation.
A key element of the programme is “Leadership”. This element is addressed by examining 5 Leadership “Key Success Factors” and developing skills and insights to become more effective in this regard. The “Key Success Factors” are understanding the “rules of the game”, behavioural understanding, continuous learning, effective communications and courage / confidence.
This element of the course is flexible. Current events, industry or sector developments or customised contextual material is included here. The skills of situational awareness, understanding, reflection, decision-making and action are addressed. Taken together these represent “agility” which is a key theme of the programme.
Tools for environmental scanning and understanding are introduced and integrated with other elements of the programme. Fuel, energy and other “green” cost-saving measures are also examined.
Key resilience factors include maintaining cash-flow and new orders at a time when “belts are being tightened”. This element addresses aspects of sales, marketing and new business development. For service organizations, the module will address the delivery of services in a stream-lined, cost-effective and customer service oriented manner. Tools and techniques for both of these dimensions are covered. The New Career pages are part of the RESILIENCE Personal Development programme.
A critical aspect of organizational and personal resilience is capability and competence. This module addresses Human Resource Management (HRM) issues using a diagnostic and intervention model. Training, delegation, prioritization, systems and employee relations are addressed.
The final element of the programme addresses sustainability. Change, uncertainty and lean times may sap energy and enthusiasm and may give rise to conflict and frustration. This element integrates all other elements into a “roadmap for the future” and provides participants with the wherewithal to make and sustain positive changes in their organization.
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