The Power of "Resilience" Questioned in an Era of Change #101

The modern era is often called the VUCA era, characterized by opacity and difficulty in predicting the future.
VUCA is an acronym for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity.

In other words, it is an era based on the premise that "the future cannot be read as an extension of the past."
It is not uncommon for rules of thumb and past successful experiences that were effective until now to no longer apply.
However, management cannot simply end there.
This contradiction is the essence of VUCA.

■ Resilience to Adapt to the Environment

Of course, a broad, long-term strategy is important.
However, that alone is not enough to flexibly respond to unpredictable changes.

What is needed from now on is:
• The ability to correctly grasp the current situation
• A perspective that looks ahead to short-term changes
• The execution power to make agile decisions

And in this era, not only companies but also every individual is strongly required to have"the power to adapt to the environment = resilience".

Resilience means "supple strength" or "recovery power" against external shocks.

For example:
• The strength to bend without breaking, like a willow branch
• The vitality of plants sprouting from parched earth

It can also be said to be the power to not just endure, but to accept, rebuild, and utilize for the next step.

■ Why BCP Alone Is Not Enough

Companies formulate BCPs (Business Continuity Plans) to prepare for unforeseen circumstances.
This is a very important initiative.

However, no matter how much you prepare, you must stand on the premise thatthe unexpected will always happen.

That is why you need these two concepts:
• "Prepare" with BCP
• "Overcome" with resilience
Without resilience, the plan will not function.

■ What Is Resilient Talent?

A company is a collection of people.
In other words, organizational resilience is born from individuals.

The five elements of "resilient talent" as I see them are as follows:

1. Flexible adaptability
Not being bound by preconceived notions and being able to change one's way of thinking according to the situation.

2. Emotional control
Being able to maintain composure without being dominated by anxiety or impatience.

3. Realistic positive thinking
Thinking positively based on logic and not being unnecessarily pessimistic.

4. Grit
The tenacity to see things through to the end, even in difficult situations.

5. Communication skills
Being able to cooperate with others and build supportive relationships.

■ Crises Bring Out Resilience

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic was an unexpected crisis for many companies.

In my company, we had originally planned to "increase productivity in three years."
However, triggered by this crisis, each and every employee demonstrated resilience.

As a result—

the three-year plan took shape in just three months.

This is not just efficiency.
It is the result of the entire organization demonstrating the "power to rebuild without breaking and move forward."A crisis can make an organization weak or strong.

What makes the difference is resilience.

■ The Perspective of Management to Enhance Resilience

So, how can we enhance resilience?

One way to think about it is"Smart Shrink".

As the market shrinks due to population decline, management that forcibly continues to pursue scale becomes a risk instead.

That is why decisions such as:
• Performing selection and concentration
• Cutting away waste
• Improving the quality of profits
become important.

This is not just a reduction, butmanagement that builds a constitution strong against environmental changes = enhancing resilience.

■ Turning Adversity into a Starting Point for Growth

What is important in the coming era is not just growing.
• Can you withstand change?
• Can you rebuild?
• Can you move forward further from there?
In other words,

whether or not you can create a "supple and strong state".In an organization with high resilience, resilient talent naturally grows.

And that chain reaction becomes the true strength of the company.
Unforeseen circumstances and adversity cannot be avoided.

However, you can choose how to perceive them.
• Will you let it end as just a crisis?
• Will you make it a trigger for evolution?
Resilience is at that turning point.



Not only being hard to break, but also standing up even if you do break. And becoming stronger than before.
I believe that is the power required of companies from now on.