Resilience in the company: Strengthen resilience in the workplace

In today's dynamic working world, challenges and rapid change are the order of the day. Companies are often under pressure to adapt, grow and remain innovative. 

In order to withstand this pressure, the concept of resilience comes into play - the ability to remain resilient during a crisis and other adversities and to emerge stronger.

But what exactly does resilience mean and why is it so crucial to a company's success?

In this article, we take a look at the pillars of resilience, what consequences a lack of resilience can have and what concrete measures can be taken to strengthen resilience at employee, management and organisational level.

What does resilience mean in a corporate context?

Resilience in organisations is the ability to recover quickly from setbacks, to cope with stress of any kind and to remain positive and productive despite difficult, challenging circumstances. In the corporate context, this means that both individual employees and the entire organisation are flexible and adaptable in order to respond effectively to changes and challenges.

Here are some examples that your company may have already experienced and survived with the help of strong resilience:

Project delays: Your team is working on an important project that comes to a standstill due to unforeseen technical problems. Instead of panicking, all team members develop a new strategy with a new plan and implement it with optimism so that the project is still completed successfully.

Market changes: Your company realises that customer needs have changed due to a new technology. You invest in research and development to create innovative products that meet the new requirements and thus remain competitive.

Crisis management during the pandemic: During the COVID-19 pandemic, you are successfully transitioning your organisation to remote working, introducing flexible working hours and implementing digital communication tools to support your employees' productivity and wellbeing.

The consequences of a lack of resilience

A lack of resilience can have serious consequences. At the individual level of the employees themselves, it can lead to increased stress, burnout and reduced work performance. Managers who are not resilient can find it difficult to motivate their team and lead them through uncertain times. At an organisational level, a lack of resilience can mean that the company is unable to adapt to market changes, which ultimately jeopardises its competitiveness. 

For these reasons, promoting the resilience of your employees is of crucial importance and should be a primary goal in health management.

How to strengthen resilience in your company

Resilience comprises 3 dimensions: the individual, or personal and organisational resilience. At an individual level, it is about how individuals, i.e. employees and managers, deal with complex situations, mental and physical stress and frustration. The aim of personal resilience is to overcome challenges and emerge stronger from them. 

Resilient leadership is a sub-area of personal resilience, as it is about the managers' own resilience. This means that managers understand their employees, communicate transparently and create a culture of openness and trust.

In contrast, organisational resilience refers to a company's ability to adapt to changes and challenges in the business environment and the economic situation.

Resilient companies are able to overcome obstacles and react flexibly to change. They adapt their structures and processes to new circumstances in order to maintain their efficiency and competitiveness.

1. promote individual resilience

• Promote self-care: Employees should be encouraged to look after their health and well-being. This includes sufficient sleep, regular exercise and a balanced diet.
  
• Stress management workshops: Training courses and workshops that teach techniques for coping with stress can help to strengthen individual resilience.
  
• Mentoring and coaching: Personal support from mentors or coaches on the subject of resilience can help employees to deal better with challenges and improve their handling of stress.

2. Developing resilient leadership

• Communication and transparency: Managers should communicate openly and transparently in order to create trust and minimise uncertainty.
  
• Emotional intelligence: Managers should develop their emotional intelligence in order to better respond to the needs of their employees and support them in difficult times.
  
• Role model function: Resilient managers serve as role models for their teams by acting resiliently themselves and thus promoting a positive corporate culture.

3. Integration of organisational resilience

• Flexibility and adaptability: Companies should create structures and processes that enable flexibility and rapid adaptation to change.
  
• Establish a learning culture: A culture of continuous learning and innovation helps to make the company more resilient to change.
  
• Risk management: Effective risk management and contingency plans are crucial in order to be prepared for unforeseen events.

The principles of resilience

A company's resilience is based on several key pillars that are interlinked and together contribute to resilience.

1. Assumption of responsibility
   • Taking responsibility means that employees and managers take ownership of their tasks and decisions. This promotes a culture of commitment and reliability in which everyone actively contributes to solving problems.
     
2. Strengthening social relationships in the workplace
   • Good social relationships and networks in the workplace promote a supportive environment. When employees have strong bonds with each other, they can work together better, become more resilient and can support each other in difficult times.
     
3. Acceptance of the unchangeable
   • Acceptance of the unchangeable means coming to terms with situations that are out of your control and focussing instead on what you can influence. This helps to channel energy into productive activities instead of fretting about things that cannot be changed.
     
4. Proactive action
   • Proactive action means taking early and independent measures to prevent potential problems before they get worse. This demonstrates a forward-looking attitude and helps to minimise potential risks.
     
5. Solution-orientation instead of problem-orientation
   • A solution-orientated attitude focuses on finding ways to solve problems rather than fixating on the problems themselves. This attitude promotes creativity and the development of effective solutions, even in crisis situations.
     
6. Ability to reflect
   • The ability to reflect means that employees and management regularly think about their experiences and actions in order to learn from them and continuously improve. This helps to learn from mistakes and better overcome future challenges.
     
7. Meaningful work
   • Meaningful work means that all employees see a clear connection to the importance of their tasks and their contribution to the overall success of the company. This promotes motivation and commitment, as the work is perceived as valuable and meaningful.

Specific measures to strengthen resilience in the workplace

Various targeted measures can be taken to strengthen resilience. These help people to become more resilient at both an individual and organisational level and to be better prepared for challenges.

Here are some important measures that companies can take to promote their resilience:

• Preparation for potential crisis situations is an essential measure. A company should develop detailed emergency plans and carry out regular crisis exercises. An example of this is a company that has drawn up a comprehensive emergency plan for IT failures or hacker attacks. This plan includes procedures for recovering data and communicating with customers. Regular testing of this plan ensures that everyone involved knows what to do in the event of an emergency.
  
• Promote flexibility of action and thinking is also crucial. Flexibility means that the company and its employees are able to adapt quickly to new situations and find alternative approaches. For example, a company might encourage creative ideas and new approaches to problem solving. For example, a company organises workshops to promote innovative thinking and problem-solving skills in order to strengthen employees' flexibility.
  
• strengthen team spirit and good co-operation, create a supportive working environment that helps to overcome challenges together. Team-building measures and regular meetings or team events promote dialogue and collaboration. One example would be a company that regularly organises team-building events where employees come together outside of the workplace and strengthen their relationships. This improves communication and cohesion within the team.
  
• Developing a corporate culture and a sense of unity promotes a strong sense of belonging and commitment. A positive corporate culture strengthens motivation and the willingness to work together to overcome challenges. For example, the company introduces a programme that regularly celebrates successes and recognises employees for special achievements. This promotes a culture of appreciation and strengthens the sense of community.
  
• Further training opportunities are important to continuously improve employees' skills and keep them up to date. One example is a company that offers regular training and development programmes that cover both technical and personal development areas. These programmes ensure that employees are well prepared to take on new tasks and overcome challenges.
  
• Health offers support the physical and mental well-being of employees. A healthy working environment helps to reduce stress and strengthen overall resilience. A company could offer a comprehensive health programme that includes fitness classes, stress management workshops and access to health services. Such programmes help to actively maintain health.
  
• A good working environment both ergonomically and psychologically, is also crucial. A pleasant and supportive working environment helps employees to feel comfortable and perform at their best. One example is a company that invests in ergonomic office furniture and designs workstations to meet the individual needs of employees. In addition, regular measures are implemented to promote a positive working atmosphere and reduce stress.

By implementing these measures, companies can strengthen their resilience and better prepare themselves for the challenges of the modern business world. In doing so, they create a solid basis for long-term success and a stable, committed workforce.

Conclusion: the importance of resilience is more important than ever

Resilience is a key factor for a company's success in a constantly changing world. If there is more resilience at an individual, management and organisational level, companies can respond better to challenges and be successful in the long term.

It requires a holistic approach that takes into account both the personal skills of the workforce and the structural and cultural aspects of the organisation. Targeted measures and resilient leadership enable companies to build a resilient and adaptable organisation that is capable of facing the challenges of the future.

Simon Fiechtner
I'm Simon, co-founder of Deep Care and I've been working in the fields of health and artificial intelligence for many years. After several years of experience in HR and business development at a large corporation, I decided to turn this passion into a start-up together with colleagues and friends.