Resilience - a strategy that is not new: what makes companies strong now.
We live in a time in which a „return to normality“ seems increasingly unrealistic. Not only since the coronavirus pandemic have we felt, both professionally and privately, as if we were stuck in a permanent crisis that just won't end. The challenges are not only manifold - they 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?
- Skills shortages and demographic change are presenting organisations with structural challenges - both in terms of recruiting and retaining employees. At the same time, technological and digital advances will cause entire professions to disappear and 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.
- Social change - from the search for meaning among younger generations to new demands on leadership and culture - is changing 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 is it not?
The term resilience (Latin resilire: „to bounce back“, „to rebound“) roughly translates as „psychological resilience“. It describes the ability of people, teams or organisations to remain flexible despite adverse circumstances, to adapt, to learn from crises and to emerge stronger. It is not about simply enduring or resisting - but about the ability to shape change and maintain one's own ability to act 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.
It is about more than structures or processes. Resilience permeates the mindset, communication, leadership and trust in the collective ability to find solutions. It is now even more important to recognise the strengths and weaknesses of individual managers and employees - and thus to create 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 dialogue not only strengthen cooperation, but also promote innovation - especially in times of 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 Vs“ 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 lever for acting quickly in complex situations. Unfortunately, trust is all too often lacking in teams. People know little about each other, don't talk to each other but about each other. And instead of discussing things openly, even controversially, people engage in tactics.
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 that 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 does not mean being unassailable - it means 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 in which security has become an illusion, resilience is no longer a „nice to have“ - but a survival factor. For organisations, this means that they must be more than just efficient. They must be capable of learning, trusting and willing to adapt.
Resilience doesn't start with the system - it starts with the dialogue. And that's where we are happy to help.
➤ Would you like to make your team or organisation more resilient?
We support companies in the development of practised resilience - with workshops, retrospectives, interactive formats and leadership sparring as well as in the selection of appropriate tools.
In conclusion: Thinking resilience in images
Resilience is difficult to grasp - but it is easy to talk about. So it's no wonder that we often resort to metaphors in everyday life and in organisational development to make this multi-layered ability understandable and emotionally connectable:
- concept of value: Resilience as an attitude - an inner source of strength that provides orientation.
- Interaction scheme: Resilience arises from interaction - like in a well-rehearsed orchestra or team in which dissonances are heard and integrated.
- Organism metaphor: Resilient organisations function like living systems that adapt to environmental stimuli, regenerate and develop further.
- Weight metaphor: Load meets resistance - but what can withstand without breaking?
- Balance metaphor: Resilience as the balancing of opposites - stability and flexibility, closeness and distance, control and trust.
- Battle metaphor: Sometimes resilience feels like an inner struggle - with doubts, setbacks and headwinds. But it's not the blow that counts, but the ability to get back up again.
- Path metaphor: The resilient path is rarely straight - rather a path with detours, stumbling blocks and new forks that you don't walk alone.
- Container metaphor: Teams need a stable container in which uncertainty can be endured - through psychological security, clear communication and joint support.
- Network metaphor: Resilience thrives on connections - like a dense network that cushions individual failures and supports 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 in order to remain capable of acting and future-proof, especially in times of challenges such as those we are currently facing - digitalisation, climate crisis, shortage of skilled workers and global upheaval.
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.
