By Renzie Jan P. Baguio, ADAS III, SDO Nueva Ecija
“Change is the only constant thing in the world” as the Greek philosopher Heractilus
once said. Comparable with how the world was shocked by a global health crisis known as
the COVID-19 pandemic that caused many lives to change. This caused industries,
institutions and organizations all over the world create innovative procedures to continue
their operations while observing health protocols. Certainly, COVID-19 pandemic shifted the
conventional type of service delivery to a safer and adaptive “new normal” work processes.
In any type of organization, there is always the presence of change especially in times
of uncertainty like the global pandemic. The organization’s daily operations, service delivery,
and even communication lines are compromised due to the foregoing restrictions and health
protocols. Building organizational resilience will help the members of the organization combat
these threats by gaining the ability to adapt, being more flexible and bouncing back from
adversity. Resilience can be learned and developed within the organization, at any stage, at
any circumstances. If the members of the organization experience workplace stress at some
time, effective people management will be a great help to promote organizational resilience. It
helps when everyone is aware on how to constructively change their way thinking, acting and
feeling towards uncertainty.
Often times, unhelpful thinking contributes to stress. People tend to see things in
black and white, comparing their situation negatively to those around them, and thinking
negatively towards the outcomes of a situation. By recognizing these unhelpful thinking
patterns, and adapting structured problem-solving techniques, the organization can help
reduce stress, and increase a sense of personal control to the members.
We are going to take a closer look at the concept of resilience using the seven C’s of
resilience as a framework for building organizational resilience through people management.
The seven C’s of resilience is a set of building blocks for making a resilient organization:
1. Competence – is about handling a situation or task effectively and it is also about
specific skills or a personal passion for something. Members of the organization
should be given affirmation and praise whenever they handled a certain critical job or
task remarkably particularly if they have used their skills that resulted to a job well
done.
2. Confidence – is the belief in one’s own abilities and is derived from competence but
also from encouragement and opportunities for experiencing success. The
organization should give due credits of approval and affirmation to their people in
order to boost their morale and confidence to work even better.
3. Coping – means skills and strategies to deal with stress and challenges. It is one’s
own power to overcome struggles. Since changes and uncertainties are common the
organization, the ability to cope should be checked by the organization in order to
keep track of the situation at hand.
4. Control – is knowing that you have at least some controls over your life and
environment and knowing that your decisions and actions make a difference to the
outcome. It also refers to taking responsibility. Members of the organization should
feel that they have the liberty and control on their work, and that they are being
trusted they are able to handle and act on their jobs properly.
5. Character – this aspect is about a set of morals and values and about a caring attitude
towards others. The members of the organization should be trained to the importance
of character development specially in delivery service to stakeholders.
6. Connection – knowing one is not alone in times of struggle creates a solid sense of
security as close ties to family community or whatever group one is in our foundation
for developing creative solutions. In the workplace, having connections, affiliations
and groups create room for professional and personal improvement and resilience.
7. Contribution – this is about understanding the importance of personal contribution
in the organization. It can serve as a source of purpose and motivation the experience
of offering one’s own help makes it easier to ask for help when you need it yourself.
Resilience is the capacity to withstand difficulty and rise from difficult life circumstances.
Being resilient does not mean not the people don’t experience stress, emotional trouble, and
suffering. Some organizations associate resilience with mental toughness of the members,
but demonstrating resilience includes working through emotional challenge in times of
uncertainty in the workplace. Through the help and assistance of the management and
members, together, hand in hand the organization will be able to continue and build
resilience though time.
References:
Resilience for leaders – The 7cs of Resilience, Anne Koopman, 2021, retrieved from
What Is Resilience? Your Guide to Facing Life’s Challenges, Adversities, and Crises, Katie
Hurley LSW 2020, retrieved from https://www.everydayhealth.com/wellness/resilience/
Building resilience: 7 ways to rebound from setbacks and grow stronger retrieved from
https://www.apwuhp.com/building-resilience-7-ways-to-rebound-from-setbacks-and-grow-
stronger/