How Do We Prosper in Complex Environments?

by James Canada

Most business owners will agree that the speed of change is accelerating. In response, it is no longer sufficient for us to merely “adapt” to new demands—or “cope” with the stress of uncertainty—or “adjust” to disruptions in the workplace. What we need is resilience—the force that allows us to go beyond survival and to actually prosper in environments that are becoming increasingly complex. Resilience is the ability to absorb high levels of disruptive change while displaying minimal dysfunctional behavior. It is the single most important factor necessary to increase an individual’s or organization’s speed of change.

Resilient people face no less of a challenge than others, but they have developed several critical skills that keep them balanced. They are able to regain their equilibrium faster, maintain a higher level of productivity, are physically and emotionally healthier, achieve more of their objectives than people who experience future shock, and rebound from the demands of change even stronger than before.

They let go of “how it was” and move through a period of uncertainty while they learn the new system. It doesn’t matter if the change involves technology, shifts in personnel or process. If poorly handled, change can have a negative impact on the performance of the entire organization. If an employee is disruptive, then terminating them creates a positive environment for remaining workers. However, when a productive employee is let go due to changes in the organization, it can devastate the team. Some great examples of resilience are the employees who step up to divide work assignments among the remaining team.

Since we can’t stop the speed of change or slow it down, our best defense is to develop a resilient team that can ride the wave.

James H. Canada is managing partner/CEO for Alliance Technologies LLC, ITEN mentor and author of “Corporate to Entrepreneur: Strategies for Success.” Contact Jim at james.canada@alliancetechnologiesllc.com, 636-734-2337 or www.alliancetechnologiesllc.com.