The shocks of the past few years have made improving operational resilience a priority for every responsible organization, big or small, public or private.

In DRJ’s ongoing commitment to serve our stakeholders with actionable insights on the topics that matter most, we will be diving deep into the topic at our fall 2022 conference, to be held Sept. 11 to 14 at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Resort & Spa in Phoenix.

A centerpiece of the effort will be our general session, “Developing Operational Resilience in Our Evolving World.” Two industry experts are already scheduled to participate.

Frank Shultz

Frank Shultz is the chairman and CEO of software solutions provider Infinite Blue. He has nearly 20 years’ experience creating software solutions to help organizations all over the world become more resilient.

Peter Steinfeld

Joining him will be Peter Steinfeld, senior VP of safety solutions at AlertMedia, provider of emergency communication solutions to organizations ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. Steinfeld is also the host of AlertMedia’s Employee Safety Podcast.

Both of these business continuity leaders combine deep understanding of the issues surrounding operational resilience with a practical orientation and the ability to express their thoughts in a concise, engaging manner.

The forces driving the rise of operational resilience aren’t hard to find.

They include the pandemic, the rise in outsourcing, the growing reliance on just-in-time inventory, geopolitical tensions, the increase in natural disasters, and even our rising population, according to Shultz and Steinfeld.

“More people are experiencing disasters than ever before,” says Steinfeld. “There’s nothing like experiencing disaster on disaster to make you realize you need to plan more strategically.”

Operational resilience is an effective counter to this situation because of its emphasis on strategy and flexibility, the executives agree.

“Operational resilience isn’t about being prepared for specific natural disasters,” explains Shultz. “It’s about being prepared for the thing you don’t expect and being able to pivot.”

Advice on how to make the shift from traditional BC to a resilience approach will be a key component of the Fall discussion.

Four elements Shultz has found to be key are obtaining good data, understanding how the parts of the organization are connected, looking at third- and fourth-party risk, and strong management support.

“The board needs to keep driving and funding the concept of resiliency so the organization can prevail when something happens,” he says.

Steinfeld recommends that organizations trying to boost their resilience consider investing in BC planning tools, think seriously about their internal and external crisis communications, and find a way to obtain quality threat intelligence.

“Because of the increased volume of incidents, you can’t do this manually,” he says. “You need systems that will meet the increased demand.”

Both leaders emphasize that the shift from traditional BC to a resilience approach takes time.

“Whether your company has 50,000 employees or a million, it can take a while to pivot,” says Shultz. “You should have a three-year plan.”

“This is not a destination, it’s a journey,” Steinfeld observes. “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”

Is your organization ready to start the journey toward achieving operational resilience? If so, consider joining us in Phoenix in September for this panel discussion, “Developing Operational Resilience in Our Evolving World,” and all the other sessions at DRJ Fall 2022.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bob Arnold

Bob Arnold, MBCI (hon.), is the president of Disaster Recovery Journal.

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