Resilience - a strategy that is not new: what makes companies strong now.
We live in a time where a „return to normality“ seems increasingly unrealistic. It's not just since the Corona pandemic that it feels, both professionally and privately, as though we're stuck in a perpetual crisis that may never end. The challenges are not only diverse, but they also occur simultaneously and influence each other:
- Digital disruption is changing business models in ever shorter cycles. AI, automation and new platforms demand radical adaptability.
- The end of the growth paradigm raises fundamental economic questions: How do we deal with resource scarcity, stagnating productivity and post-growth discussions?
- The shortage of skilled workers and demographic change present organisational challenges, both in recruitment and employee retention. At the same time, technical and digital progress will lead to the disappearance of entire professional sectors, which could be replaced by AI.
- Global crises such as climate change or geopolitical conflicts disrupt supply chains, destabilise markets and demand new forms of international cooperation.
- Societal change, from the search for meaning among younger generations to new demands on leadership and culture, changes organisations from the inside out.
- …
In this complex situation, it is not enough to optimise processes or introduce the next software. Organisations need something deeper: Resilience is the magic word - as an attitude, ability and strategic competence.
What is resilience and what exactly isn't it?
The term resilience (Latin: resilire: „to spring back“, „to rebound“) can be roughly translated as „psychological resistance“. It describes the ability of individuals, teams, or organisations to remain flexible in the face of adverse circumstances, to adapt, to learn from crises, and to emerge stronger. It is not about mere endurance or resistance, but about the competence to shape change and to maintain one's agency even under pressure.
Resilience does not mean showing toughness or simply „hanging in there“. In an organisational context, resilience describes the ability,
- Accepting change as part of everyday life without panicking or becoming rigid,
- maintain the ability to act, even when uncertainty dominates,
- to learn from crises instead of just surviving them,
- and emerge stronger together.
This is about more than structures or processes. Resilience permeates mindset, communication, leadership, and trust in collective problem-solving competence. It is even more important right now to recognise the strengths and weaknesses of individual leaders and employees, and thereby to shape better-coordinated teams together.
You can imagine it like a successful sports team: think of the German women's national football team at Euro 2022. After years without a major title, structural upheavals and many critical voices, the team not only managed to get back to a final (they unfortunately only ended up coming second in a thrilling match against Euro hosts England, losing 2:1) - but also to perform as a cohesive unit. Not because everything went perfectly. But because roles were clear and communication was honest, and every player knew that their strength counted - but they wouldn't win alone. Injuries, setbacks and insecurities resulted in a team that did not fall apart in crises, but grew together.
Resilience is not an individual talent. It is a team sport.
Three perspectives on resilience: counselling, social science, practice
Counselling perspective: resilience can be strategically shaped
In organisational consulting, we do not view resilience as a mere protective mechanism, but as active competence development. It is not a product of chance, but the result of targeted measures:
- Establishing transparent decision-making processes that remain viable even under pressure.
- Development of a trusting management culture that provides security without overemphasising control.
- Integration of feedback and learning loops into daily work.
Social science perspective: Resilience through relationships
Research shows that resilience arises from social interaction, not from „functioning“ in isolation. Teams that support each other, can talk about concerns and develop solutions together are measurably more resilient. This means
- Psychological safety is not a luxury, but a basic requirement.
- Transparency and a culture of open dialogue not only strengthen collaboration, but also foster innovation, especially during a crisis.
- Error may be named and used to visualise structural weaknesses.
Pragmatic perspective: small interventions, big impact
Resilience doesn't always have to be big. Small, consistent practices often have the greatest impact in the long term:
- A quick check-in at the team meeting: „What's on your mind today?“
- A retrospective in which we can talk not only about processes, but also about feelings.
- A simple rule: „Listen first - then act.“
Trust, transparency and communication: the „three Ts“ of resilience
Trust
Trust is the basis of every resilient organisation. It arises when people experience it:
- My opinion counts.
- I am allowed to make mistakes without being exposed.
- Managers are true to their word.
Trust enables personal responsibility, a key driver for swift action in complex situations. And unfortunately, trust is too often lacking in teams. People know little about each other, don't talk to each other, but rather about each other. And they strategise instead of openly discussing things, even controversial ones.
A lack of trust, for example, is the lowest level in „The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team“ by Patrick Lencioni.
Transparency
Transparency reduces room for interpretation and prevents information asymmetries. Especially in crises, it helps to make actions comprehensible and provide orientation.
- What do we know and what don't we know?
- What decisions need to be made, and how do we get there?
- What do Changes for the team specifically?
A lack of transparency unsettles and paralyses teams. Simple processes, rule harmonisation and good tools can easily remedy this.
Communication
Resilience is evident in communication: openness, clarity, an active listening culture. Resilient teams talk to each other even when things get uncomfortable. And they regularly ask themselves questions:
- Is what we say helpful and honest?
- Are there topics we don't talk about, but should?
After all, conflicts are not always negative. If they are conducted openly, constructively and fairly, the options for action are on the table and solutions can be found. In our experience, these are usually better and more sustainable due to the prior commitment than hidden decisions. All those involved can take on much more responsibility because they have been actively involved.
Five concrete impulses for strengthening resilience
Here are five measures that you can apply immediately with your team or in your organisation:
- „What was our strongest hour?“
Reflecting as a team: When have we mastered a challenge together? What helped us? This strengthens collective self-confidence. It is best to keep a written record. - Regularly address psychological safety
Introduce a quarterly dialogue format in which employees can name what inhibits them and what strengthens them - without evaluation or obligation to find a solution. - Make errors visible - do not expose them
Introduces a „What we have learnt“ log. Not a „mistake book“, but a collection of insights. This institutionalises learning moments. - Resilience retrospectives instead of pure project analyses
Analyse not only figures and deadlines, but also: How did we fare in this project? How resilient were we? What can we improve? - Crisis simulation on a small scale
Simulate a worst-case scenario with the team (e.g. server failure, delivery bottleneck, staff shortage). Not for scaremongering - but for mental preparation. This creates security.
Resilience is not about being invulnerable, but about remaining touchable and flexible.
- according to Dr Gunthard Weber, doctor of psychiatry/psychotherapy. Systemic counsellor and therapist
Resilience is not a goal - it is a path
In a world where security has become an illusion, resilience is no longer a „nice to have“ but a factor for survival. For organisations, this means they must be more than efficient. They must be capable of learning, trustworthy, and adaptable.
Resilience doesn't start with the system. It starts with the conversation. And that's where we gladly help.
➤ Would you like to make your team or organisation more resilient?
We support companies in developing tangible resilience: through workshops, retrospectives, interactive formats and leadership sparring, as well as in choosing appropriate tools.
In conclusion: Thinking resilience in images
Resilience is difficult to grasp, but easy to tell. It's no wonder, then, that in everyday life and in organisational development, we often resort to metaphors to make this complex ability understandable and emotionally engaging:
- concept of value: Resilience as an attitude, an inner source of strength that provides direction.
- Interaction scheme: Resilience arises from interaction, like in a well-rehearsed orchestra or team, where dissonances are heard and integrated.
- Organism metaphor: Resilient organisations function like living systems that adapt to environmental stimuli, regenerate and develop further.
- Weight metaphor: Pressure meets resistance, but: what endures without breaking?
- Balance metaphor: Resilience as the balancing of opposites such as stability and flexibility, closeness and distance, control and trust.
- Battle metaphor: Sometimes resilience seems like an internal struggle with doubts, setbacks, and headwinds. But it's not the blow that counts, but the ability to get back up.
- Path metaphor: The resilient path is rarely straight, more a route with detours, stumbling blocks and new turnings, one that is not walked alone.
- Container metaphor: Teams need a stable container where uncertainty can be tolerated through psychological safety, clear communication, and shared holding.
- Network metaphor: Resilience thrives on connection, like a dense net that catches individual failures and carries them together.
Based on the article by Tom Levold in „Resilienz - Gedeihen trotz widriger Umständen“ by Rosemarie Welter-Enderlin, Bruno Hildebrand (ed.) from Carl-Auer Verlag
Resilience in organisations - questions & answers
What does resilience mean for companies and organisations?
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Resilience in companies means that organisations master crises, remain adaptable and emerge stronger from change - through culture, structures and leadership.
Why should companies strengthen resilience?
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Companies should strengthen their resilience to remain capable of acting and secure for the future, especially in challenging times like the ones we are currently experiencing – from digitalisation, the climate crisis, a shortage of skilled workers, and global upheavals.
How can organisations build a resilient corporate culture?
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A resilient corporate culture is created in advance through trust, transparent communication, psychological safety and clear shared values in teams.
What measures promote team resilience?
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Teams promote their resilience through retrospectives, regular feedback rounds, error logs, strengths reflections and learning together from crises.
Is resilience more of an individual skill or a team competence?
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Both. But above all, resilience is a team competence: it is created through strong relationships, clear roles and a culture of support within organisations.
