Resilience allows you not only to weather the storm through the most disruptive changes, but to flourish and prosper over time. Resilience can be described as psychological immunity to the negative impacts of adversity (Harvard Business Review, 2011). It occurs at both the personal and community level so it’s equally important to practice resilience at home and at work. Like all best practices, the time to start implementing resilience-building habits is right now!
Resilient organizations use times of disruption as an opportunity to innovate which gives them a competitive advantage over organizations that lack resilience. This type of organization anticipates and prepares for change and is ready to adapt their processes to accommodate for new and unusual circumstances. They see failures as temporary setbacks to their goals and find creative and inventive ways to recover and improve. At the heart of a resilient organization is a growth mindset that seeks to maintain a positive outlook on the future.
Resilience is an investment that encourages long-term growth. Organizations of all sizes should invest in their workforce, their leadership, as well as their client base. Success breeds success. For example, give employees the environment they need to prosper. A new employee placed in a successful workgroup is more likely to succeed when they work with stronger, more experienced colleagues than in a less established area of the business. The role employees play during times of change is enormous, and it is crucial that executives address and communicate plans in order for employees to be successful.
Leaders and mangers are one of the most important investments a business can make because they play a critical role in organizational success. Maximize their competency and capability by investing in leadership training directed at building resilience skills, encouraging best practices and adopting a growth mindset when faced with obstacles. By equipping leaders in your organization with the leadership tools they need, you empower them to take confidently measured risks to reach organizational goals.
Finally, don’t forget about your customer base. Nurture your relationships and invest in a quality customer experience. This effort will pay in dividends – through positive reviews, recommendations to friends, increased exposure, and strengthening the trust of the partnership. When you take care of your customers, they will take care of you too. Spring2 Innovation specializes in training organizations on how to truly understand their customers and gives them a comprehensive toolkit to be able to deliver more value in their product or service.
Design thinking can help your organization become more resilient as it is a flexible process that addresses the needs of the end user at every stage to allow you to continue to provide quality products and services amidst a world fluctuating with change. It is a process founded on a growth mindset that embraces failure and learns from it. The more design thinkers are in your organization, the more likely you are to bounce back from sudden changes. For more on how design thinking can strengthen your organization, read 10 Reasons Your Employees Need Design Thinking Training from Spring2 Innovation.
Learn more about building resilience in your organization with this webinar.