A small child walks up to an office desk and picks up an elastic band. Placing it over their finger they pull back aiming closely at their target. The further they pull back the more the band stretches. On release the band fires off across the room landing on the floor, relaxed back in its original shape. But if that band had been pulled back further or the band had been old and degraded then there would have been a good chance of it snapping. Dropping to the floor in a useless form different to how it started. Resilience – being able to recover form and function after experiencing higher levels of stress than normal.
So lets put this elastic band into a business context. A company with no resilience does not have the capability to manage “the stretch” of unexpected events, which may cause the business to “snap”, causing losses beyond its limits of recovery.
So understanding “the stretch” is key for a business to become resilient. But to do this a business first needs an in-depth understanding of the situation, the threats, the risks, their vulnerabilities and current capabilities of the business.
The risks of a business will come from seemingly endless causes. Whether driven from event, data or business origins these vulnerabilities are all insecurities threatening the continuity of the business. A resilient business, in terms of security, will be looking to turn these insecurities into securities. The capacity to which this is done reflects the degree of resilience and the success of the measures that have been put in place.
These measures should be proactive and systemic instead of reactive to insecurities. This enables the company to be prepared and protected. Providing it with the means to respond in the correct manner to help absorb disturbances allowing it to recover to a normal level of security and function and “business as usual”.
I work as an expedition guide, safety consultant and production manager. In short I keep people safe and happy so that they can achieve their goals. Click here to find more about me and what services I can offer.