What is a crisis or a major disruption?

What is being viewed as a crisis or a major disruption, depends on the capabilities and vulnerabilities in a business, organization, or society. A crisis or major disruption for one actor isn't necessarily the same for another actor. To avoid getting caught in semantics about "what is a crisis", the terms major disruption and major societal disruption are often used. 

Focus on continuity of critical functions

Instead  of focusing on crises, threats, and risks - we have begun to focus on major disruptions, how to manage those while at the same time keep our most critical operations and services going (regardless if it is a business' most critical functions or critical societal functions). We also talk about an all-hazards approach, where a major disruption could be anything from a pendemic, a vast and long electricity black-out, a natural disaster, a terrorist attack, or a brand scandal. 

What is resilience?

Resilience is not an end-state but a concept, an overarching idea. Resilience is the outcome we see from a number of various activities. Through resilience building in a business, organization, or society we will become better in preventing and mitigating those crises and major disruptions that we can identify in advance, at the same time as we become better in managing those we cannot identify or predict. If we become very good at managing crises and major disruptions (known and unknown) and at adapting to a "new normal" we will also improve our capabilities to create and seize opportunities that may arise during crises and major disruptions. The capability to detect and understand early signals and warning (both immediate and future) is a critical part of resilience. 

Conditions for building resilience

It all starts with Senior Management. Leadership, attitude, and culture are critical parts when creating the needed conditions for building resilience. Resilience is, by its very nature, a holistic approach that requires strong horizontal collaboration between silos, at various levels, within a business or organization. It also requires deliberate dialogue, coordination, and cooperation with other actors with whom the business or organization is dependent upon or with whom they have to share their strategic and operational space.