Exploring resilience from an organisational perspective David Houston Trinity Hospice

The resilience paradox Pre planned yet adaptable Good leaders who inspire yet also grounded and realistic in situation faced Organisation culture values disciplined planning whilst fostering an ability to be creative and innovative Teams able to recognise patterns and integrate disparate info to make sense of chaotic situation, but be sensitive and alert to subtle changes in the environment as situation evolves Vargo & Seville 2010

What is resilience? “the ability to ‘bounce back’ from a difficult or adverse situation”.

Lessons from Mid Staffs… “higher levels of staff engagement and well-being were associated with lower levels of mortality, as were staff reporting support from line managers, well structured appraisals (e.g. agreeing objectives, ensuring the individual feels valued, respected and supported), and opportunities to influence and contribute to improvements at work. “In trusts with poor staff health & wellbeing, higher injury rates, and a high level of staff intention to quite jobs, patients reported that they were generally less satisfied & CQC ratings described poorer care & poorer use of resources” Dixon-Woods et al (2013)

Where organisational resilience is most needed “Tough at the Top?” by Sarah Bond and Dr. Gillian Shapiro HBR(2015)

Where organisational resilience is most needed

Where organisational resilience originates “Tough at the Top?” by Sarah Bond and Dr. Gillian Shapiro HBR (2015)

A growing area of interest… Perceived benefits: – competitive advantage / profitability – improved reputation – risk management – increased likelihood surviving disasters & disruptive events – stronger business as usual – productive relationships

What do we learn about the drivers of organisational resilience It is not Business Continuity Plans or Crisis Communications Plans It isn’t always those who have planned who have it! Be prepared for more than one hit at a time Even positive change affects people & organisations Contingency is King…

Suggested Models for developing organisational resilience Contingency The influence of time The role of culture The central role of trust The symbiotic marriage of individual & organisational resilience Self organising systems How leaders screw-up (or occasionally not…) One Model ‘to rule them all’

The influence of time… “…when we talk short term resilience it’s about an organisation that’s fit for purpose, that’s adapting and is evolving as the global market is evolving; is able to respond to short term shocks, whether that be natural disasters or significant changes in market dynamics. “And longer term it’s more about the strategic direction that the company takes and where were positioning ourselves so that we can be successful for the next 100 years.” Australian CEO

Short-term vs long-term

Strategic resilient capabilities An effective ‘business as usual’ capability The ability to change and adapt The ability to actively shape the environment of the organisation An effective ‘business as usual’ capability The ability to change and adapt The ability to actively shape the environment of the organisation Hospices

The Role of Culture & behaviour – Characteristics of a resilience culture – Characteristics of the org environment that supports the emergence of key behavioural attributes – Behavioural attributes that support resilience “Culture promote or smother creativity & innovation - or encourage ‘magical thinking’”

Characteristics of Organisational Environment -system redundancy -Procedures, plans & exercises -Reward & incentive structures -Leadership -The ability to attract & retain

Behavioural attributes that support resilience -Open communications -Honesty -Authenticity -Deep knowledge & expertise -The central role of trust “Having all the answers is less important than knowing what to ask” Robert S Kaplan

The seven characteristics of highly resilient people – Optimistic – believe change will have positive outcome, analyse to give hope for future – Self assured – strong but realistic view of own capabilities. Control change rather than it controlling them – Focused – pursue the right goals – Open to ideas – and good at generating alternative approaches/solns to match changing situation – Seek support – look for opps to do and skilled diplomats – Structured – grounded analysis& plan but flexible to cope with shifting situation – Proactive – step out into the unknown & take action necessary.

“More than education, more than experience, more than training, a person’s level of resilience will determine who succeeds and who fails. That’s true in the cancer ward, it’s true in the Olympics, and it’s true in the Boardroom.” Diane Coutu (2002) “How resilience works”

Get our values as word doc “Strong values infuse an environment with meaning because they offer a way to interpret and shape events”

Helpful tools Hospice UK Checklist Australian Model Resilience Health Check at Scenario planning, simulations, exercises – preparedness, longer term thinking, developing and engaging organisation in strategy

Some Key Questions for your Organisation… Have you considered your organisational resilience? Have you built it into a strategic capability? Have you ‘stress-tested’ it through the science of futurology…? How are your front-line leaders influencing the environment so resilience can flourish? Do you consider resilience in your recruiting processes? Are you frightened of ‘self organising systems’ or do you embrace the opportunity around a common vision, values & meaning?

Thank you for listening…