Resiliency can be defined as the ability of an organization to prepare for, respond to, withstand and recover from adverse situations while maintaining operational continuity and the safety of its people, assets, and the environment. This includes utilizing resources effectively to adapt to changing conditions and recover from disruptions such as natural disasters, economic crises, technological incidents, and human-caused events. Resilience intersects organizational preparedness but is distinct in several ways. Resilience enables an organization to rebound quickly from shocks and stressors because the organization has prepared and incorporated the attributes of resilience into its organization, supply chain, and customers.
Being resilient requires more than an emergency preparedness program. It requires a methodical analysis of interdependencies with your business and accurate definition and a means to measure resilience. Since resilience is becoming a distinguishing attribute in the marketplace, many organizations are assessing their resilience, leadership, and preparedness in order to develop and implement resilience plans.
Bob Campbell, CEO of Alliance Solutions Group, Inc., authored Crisis Ready Leadership: Building Resilient Organizations and Communities (Wiley 2023) to guide leadership through the process of becoming a crisis-ready leader by building resilience into their organization or community.