What makes a resilient organization?

What makes a resilient organization?

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What makes a resilient organization?
What makes a resilient organization?
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Organizational Resilience Index Report 2021

Organizations across the globe entered 2020 with leaders’ confidence in the perceived resilience of their organizations having dipped for the first time since 2017. Their ability to predict future market changes was already hampered by significant political, economic, social, and technological changes, and the ability to adapt was viewed as the key to success.

2020 rapidly became a year unlike any other. Many organizations had not planned for the speed of change that COVID-19, the very essence of an unforeseen volatile, uncertain complex and ambiguous situations, delivered and organizational resilience was tested like never before.  

In this fourth annual Organizational Resilience Index, BSI asked more than 500 global business leaders how they felt they had survived, stabilized, rebuilt, and thrived amid the global disruption triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Having faced the challenge and survived, organizations have now entered 2021 with a renewed sense of belief in their individual and collective resilience.

Key findings of the Organizational Resilience Index 2021

  • A more holistic approach has emerged

    The unpredictable nature of Covid-19 resulted in leaders developing a more holistic awareness of the impact of all aspects of operations on their perception of their Organizational Resilience.

  • Increased emphasis on people and process

    There has been a shift in views as to which business areas have had the greatest impact on Organizational Resilience. While agile leadership remains a defining factor, it has been the People and Process elements that have seen the greatest increases in perceived importance.

  • Focusing on people and planet had a positive impact

    Prioritizing the health, safety and wellbeing of employees, clients and communities were strongly indicated to have had a positive impact on rebuilding Organizational Resilience.

  • Strong recovery requires a flexible approach

    Those that have survived have been agile, flexible, and adaptable. To rebuild, and ultimately thrive, leaders need to continue to communicate their vision effectively and with clarity, even when they don't immediately have all the answers, to align their workforce and resources.

  • Cause for optimism

    With so many aspects beyond their control, such as ever-changing government policies, how leaders have dealt with uncertainty has been key to survival. Now that there is more clarity on how their 'next normal' might look, cautious optimism enables leaders to strategize with more confidence.

The BSI Organizational Resilience Framework

Organizational resilience is a vital aspect to ensuring business leaders constantly remain future-ready.

Our thought leadership activity is developed specifically to provide leaders with insights to benchmark and assess their organization's resilience and provide wider context into global trends and challenges.

Organizational Resilience Framework diagram

The BSI Organizational Resilience Framework measures perceived performance on a scale of 1-10 across 16 elements in four categories (Leadership, People, Process and Product) and can benchmark by sector, size, and longevity.

Our benchmarking tool enables senior executives to develop personal insight into the resilience of their own organizations and compare this relative performance with similar organizations in their sectors and geographies.

BSI empowers our clients to become ready for what's next. Through shaping, sharing, and embedding industry best practice, BSI improves organizations' resilience by providing tools and techniques so they are equipped to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Download the report