Organisational Resilience for Multinational Teams

Organisational Resilience for Multinational Teams – Eco accountability didn’t just appear out of nowhere. Companies that plough through the world of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) and most recently BANI (brittle, anxious, nonlinear, and incomprehensible) world weren’t only pushed by the masses to be socially responsible but also discovered it themselves how different our reality is now compared to the pre-digital age. Although the crime rates have depleted over the years, natural disasters are still inevitable. As organisations expand, responsibilities will go through the roof since more manpower equals more lives to care for. Thankfully, there are multiple ways to ensure safer spaces for work and cultivate adaptive leadership to handle teams across the globe. It all boils down to preparation and learning from the past.

1. Risk Management & Contingency Plan

When everything is going well, the sun is out, and business is booming; it’s also the best time to prepare. Looking back at the previous year/s, analyse and asses if everything went smoothly all the time. If you have locations around the Pacific Ring of Fire, one thing is for sure: one or one thousand of your employees have experienced typhoons, floods, earthquakes, volcanic ash, etc. And you’re mistaken if you feel like it won’t happen in the following years. That is why you have to assess and mitigate the risk so that you can plan. Set alert levels with documentation of the actions needed once it’s activated.

2. Crisis Communication

A minute can entirely change the outcome of a decision. No matter how good your plans are, if it’s not communicated properly, it will all go to waste. So make sure that you map out the process and distribute it using the proper channels. Use all channels available if possible. When a decision is brought down by the leaders, it should swiftly reach every member of the team.

3. Business Continuity Plan

Let’s face it. Even if a lot of things aren’t going the way they should be in different locations, we still have numbers to hit; and as an organisation, we have to make up for the ones who are affected by the crisis. The only difference between a BCP and a contingency plan is that a Business Continuity Plan may change whilst the issues are still ongoing. As an agile organisation, you have to keep in mind that just because a policy is made, it’s already applicable all the time.

Monitoring also plays a big part in being adaptive while issues are ongoing. Your company’s response to crises will change and must change according to your current needs. Continuous improvement towards finding better options is prescribed company-wide to avoid complacency that whatever worked previously will still work for future crises.

4. Employee Wellbeing

This is the most vital point to prioritise during hard times. Without your teams, your business will barely run. That’s why you have to keep track of their well-being because they will be the ones to take care of your customers. So whenever something goes wrong, check on them first before you feel bad about your profit. The importance of your triple bottom line is upheld by people because the planet will exist without them and profit won’t come until you have people.

5. Abrupt Decision–Making

The fastest-acting leaders save the most. Not just in terms of financial savings but also in people management. The last thing that your team should worry about during times of crisis is their job. Giving them the peace of mind that you have their back, breeds loyalty that you aren’t just there for the business but you care for your people. Leaders get to see concerns from a mile away. Once you build the muscle to foresee issues that may occur before they happen, you are saving yourself from the risks of any casualty. This of course is aside from the fact that you already have a plan in place.

Resilience as an organisation is rooted in its leaders. It doesn’t matter if you are in the same building or not. If your culture is fast-acting to uncontrollable concerns, you are reinforcing your organisation’s longevity. At Vault, safety is our core principle. If you would like to know how we apply it to various partners around the world, you may reach out to us on this page.