Why resilient organisations are equipped for the long haul

After the pandemic, the changing work culture proved that resilience and adaptability are important driving forces for any business, during a crisis. Other than external crises, such as the pandemic, resilience is also important to withstand intra-organisational crises. Speaking about how intra-organisational resilience may be helpful, Nihar Ghosh, president – HR, Emami, says, “Resilience is fundamental for any company. If there is no resilience, there will be no sustenance for the company during any crisis. Without any resilience, a company cannot have a long-term stand. For instance, during the pandemic, many companies without proper resilience folded up, while the ones with adequate resilience managed to sustain and survive. Resilience shows the strong character of any organisation.”

Seema Singh, chief human resources officer & chief finance officer, India Post Payments Bank

During the great crisis of 2008-09, which shook the world economy, India sustained the shock due to the financial regulators stepping into the scene. However, the multinational companies running India withstood the shock with strong resilience. As Ghosh puts it, “resilience can absorb sudden hiccups, be it currency crisis or anything else. Resilience allows for a balanced approach by companies towards everything, and companies should always have an alternative plan even during good times, in order to sustain bad times that are not foreseen.”

Manu Wadhwa, CHRO, Sony Pictures

Talking about it more analytically, Reena Wahi, human resource leader, Tata Realty and Infrastructure, says, “A resilient company looks at things objectively during the financial crisis. It not only manages negative situations positively, but also creates positivity among the employees. For instance, it was resilience that helped many hold on to existing potential employees amidst the pandemic. Many employees chose to stay back with a partial salary cut, instead of quitting. At the end of the day it is clear that resilience doesn’t take one down.”

While the pandemic was the ideal time for employers to reflect on their resilient nature, many employees were asked to work from home. Some categories of work, such as production and manufacturing had to be brought to a halt. The entertainment industry saw a huge setback due to its nature of work nature. It could not adopt a hybrid work culture. While talking about how the entertainment industry overcame the long break in terms of shoots, Manu Wadhwa, CHRO, Sony Pictures, explains, “We had to find alternative ways and new techniques to resume the shoots, without compromising the health and safety of the people involved.” She goes on to add, “Resilience is the key to the human capacity to find out how to deal with a crisis with minimum input.”

Reena Wahi, human resource leader, Tata Realty and Infrastructure

There are always , however, some alternative opinions to every discussion. While some companies face trouble during crises, others belonging to the emergency service sector run full-fledged operations to meet the demands of the situation. As explained by Seema Singh, chief human resources officer & chief finance officer, India Post Payments Bank, “During the recent crisis, our sector had to put in double the effort and time than normal. People were forced to stay at home, but were also in need of money. In the remote areas, where access to ATMs and online transactions are limited, it was our ‘dakiyaas’ who exhibited resilience, delivering cash to homes while taking all the primary precautions. There were continuous advisories to monitor the health of our employees.”

Nihar Ghosh, president – HR, Emami,

What can be concluded by all these statements is that a resilient organisation is equipped for the long haul. Companies have to be prepared for unforeseen situations. Only their resilience can help them withstand sudden hiccups. In the absence of resilience, even a small hurdle or crisis may prove to be too much for a company to handle. It is always better to have an alternative plan coupled with a positive approach to help tide over contingencies, which may otherwise spread a whole lot of negativity.