Brian Sims
Editor
Brian Sims
Editor
THE BUSINESS Continuity Institute (BCI) is set to unveil Edition 1.0 of its Resilience Framework at BCI World Hybrid 2024, which runs on 29 October at the Leonardo Royal London Hotel, Tower Bridge. The BCI has produced the Resilience Framework by drawing on the knowledge of a panel of experts with decades of experience. Indeed, this marks the first time such a framework has been developed.
In essence, the Resilience Framework offers a strategic structure that organisations can use to enhance their resilience via eight core principles, which are followed by a framework cycle that provides a structure for using the core principles in organisational settings.
The guidance is aimed at senior management to help lead and guide resilience development. It can also be used by practitioners to inform and influence top management across all global regions and sectors.
Why now?
The nature of professional practice in the industry is changing at a fast pace and on a global scale, with numerous and varied challenges that create increasing risks and threats to organisations.
On that basis, the BCI believes it’s time for a clear definition of what resilience is and to determine the universal core principles that make something ‘resilient’ within a business and organisational setting.
David Thorp, executive director at the BCI, said: “The BCI’s remit is to lead the way into resilience and the Resilience Framework is an important aspect of our commitment to that endeavour. There has long been a need for straightforward, clear and strategic guidance covering resilience development and management and this document provides exactly that.”
Thorp added: “The Resilience Framework is not directive. It doesn’t detail specific solutions for developing resilience. Instead, it provides eight core principles that inform resilience excellence. It also combines these into the Resilience Framework Cycle, which provides a structured way in which companies might implement those core principles.”
Target audience
As mentioned, the Resilience Framework is a strategic guidance document aimed at top management and organisational leaders in order to help them implement and improve organisation-wide resilience structures. It can also be used by middle management, and those effecting programmes, to promote the merits of strong resilience plans upwards to Board level.
One of the core aims was to ensure that the guidance applied to all sizes and types of organisations operating in any sector anywhere in the world. This has been achieved by focusing on universal strategic principles that underpin the development of resilience.
In order to better reflect the changing practices of what is now a dynamic and fast-moving industry, and also to ensure that the sector leads the way in strategic resilience management, this Resilience Framework is a living document that will be reviewed on an annual basis to maintain its strategic leadership role.
Framework overview
The BCI’s Resilience Framework is founded on the idea that “resilience is the key objective of all protective processes carried out by organisations” and draws on existing good practice, such as the UK Government’s Organisational Resilience Guidance as well as the processes found within relevant international standards to achieve its aims.
Part One of the Resilience Framework sets out the eight core principles that establish a baseline for all resilience development and management activities, including the fact that ‘Resilience is led from the top’ and encouraging businesses to ‘Take a risk-based approach’. These fundamental values will guide organisational decision-making and the resulting actions.
These defining core principles are followed by Part Two, which delves into how businesses and organisations can apply the core principles in a structured and practical manner in order to build or enhance their resilience programmes.
Different views and theories
Rachael Elliott, knowledge strategist at the BCI, informed Security Matters: “If you attend any resilience-orientated conference today, you will undoubtedly hear the definition of ‘resilience’ debated and argued over, very often with no conclusions being reached. This document is the result of many hours of exploring different views and different theories. It provides a useable framework from which resilience programmes can transcend, regardless of sector, region or company size.”
Elliott added: “While primarily geared towards senior management, this Resilience Framework will also provide guidance for those implementing and running programmes, as well as using it as a tool to showcase the value of having a strong resilience programme in place.”
*Further information is available online at www.thebci.org
**Access the key detail concerning BCI World Hybrid 2024
