Topic 3: Organizational Resilience Components
Topic Overview
A
resilient organization is one in which “We’ve always done it that way!”
is a seldom heard statement; and “Might there be a better way?” is an
often heard question!
We have studied about personal resilience in the previous topics. Now we turn our attention to resilience in groups and organizations. People are key to organizational resilience—it would not be possible to have a resilient organization staffed by rigid, unyielding and inflexible people. Yet there is more to a resilient organization than the people in it. Factors which comprise the culture of the organization, its decision making style and its communication strategies are of utmost importance and have a significant impact on whether the organization as a whole will be resilient or not. This topic will explore these components of organizational resilience.
To get a broad view of how personal and organizational resilience work together within an organization, please take a look at the following brief video. The lighthouse serves as a signal for boats lost at sea. This is similar to those beacons of hope that shine in trying times. The personal resilience characteristics which employees bring to an organization serve as the foundation for moving the organization forward. The organizational resilience elements can then serve as the energizing factors to enable individuals to assist the organization in dealing with both internal and external challenges.
[flash presentation]
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this session, you will have:
- Developed the ability to identify those elements of organizational culture and organizational processes which contribute to or impede organizational resilience.
Readings and Research
Context
Take some time to explore the three elements of effective communication, openness to growth and learning and flexibility identified below. You will be asked to apply the information in a case study.
Resilient organizations maintain accessible and user-friendly communication practices that encourage participation across the organization and reporting tools that provide insights into the nature of incidents, threats, and vulnerabilities. Furthermore, effective communication is that which accounts for and spans across special circumstances (i.e. Crisis Communication & Emergency Notification) and multiple 'publics' (employees, vendors, customers, community, etc.) There is much overlap in each of the articles recommended as the elements of organizational resilience are braided together in such a way as to make them parts of each other. (Alternate search terms if links are broken include: Communication and organizational resilience, flexibility and organizational resilience, and learning organizations.)
Good Communication
Ensuring Organizational Resilience
Four Principles for Disaster Recovery
Openness to Growth & Learning
Sculpting the Learning Organization
Flexible and Adjustable Procedures
How to Achieve Resilience
Learning Activities
Case Study
Context
This activity will ask you to apply the information you just reviewed in the readings. This is an actual case study about organizational resilience. While the circumstances and the response of the leader are extraordinary, they illustrate the power of resilience to impact the outcome in adverse circumstances.
Case Study: Aaron Feuerstein and Malden Mills
Task Description
- Step 1: Read the case study and focus on those characteristics
of the leader and of the organization which stand out to you.
- Step 2: Discuss or identify the unique responses of the owner of Malden Mills and compare those responses to a recent decision made by upper management in your organization. What was done well and contributes to the resilience of your organization? What might be done to increase the resilience in your organization?