How DO you create a resilient workplace culture? It’s not something that can be done on a spreadsheet or delegated to HR to deal with. Despite resilience being keenly sought after, it remains out of reach for many organisations because they simply don’t put the time and effort into nurturing it. The result is that as soon as the workforce is faced with change, they don’t step up to the challenge but shy away from it, perhaps even becoming a disruptive force. It’s therefore crucial that leaders understand the importance of promoting resilience in their organisations and take the right steps to build a robust and nimble culture.

You can’t force resilience

You can’t demand that employees show resilience when times get tough, expecting them to “stay calm and carry on”. Some employees will show more resilience than others due to their lived experiences, however by simply expecting every employee to push through the challenges without complaint will result in a higher likelihood of burnout.

Cultivating an altered mindset

To achieve true resilience requires an altered mindset in which changes – whether a new management structure, a merger or a recession – aren’t seen as setbacks or crises to overcome but are instead seen as opportunities to innovate, evolve and improve. In other words, turning stumbling blocks into steppingstones.

And this means being guided by the following three principles: adaptability (being flexible to change), proactivity (actively finding new ways of doing things), and perseverance (seeing setbacks as growth opportunities).

Identifying and promoting resilient behaviours

There are certain qualities and behaviours that encourage adaptability, proactivity and perseverance and so these must be championed by leaders. For instance, transparent communication, collaboration, flexibility and autonomy help to promote ‘nimble resilience’ in leaders and employees alike, with research suggesting that these qualities increase the likelihood of individuals viewing themselves as more resilient.

Encouraging open and honest communications, for example, helps employees to be better informed about the changes impacting their organisation so they can prepare accordingly.  Plus, giving employees autonomy while encouraging collaboration promotes innovative thinking on the one hand, but also new perspectives on the other while ensuring there’s a strong support network for navigating change.

Leaders must practice what they preach

Leaders and middle managers are crucial to nurturing a resilient culture by modelling and encouraging the right behaviours. After all, when employees perceive their leaders as ‘nimbly resilient’, the odds they will see their organisation as such, increase by 1,460 per cent.

Organisations must therefore recruit with resilient qualities in mind and train their leaders so that they regularly exhibit the right skills and model appropriate behaviours from open communication and collaboration through to proactive problem-solving and empathy. As well as having employees mirror resilient behaviours, this will also create an environment of psychological safety in which employees feel safe and supported – crucial factors for when the business is faced with unexpected change.

Recognising and rewarding resilience

Resilient behaviours and approaches will only become truly embedded into the workplace culture when they are regularly called out and rewarded by other managers and peers. This means recognising those employees who show resilient behaviours such as trying new approaches (even if they don’t work out), exhibiting excellent teamwork, and continuing to persevere despite setbacks.

Giving the recognition in a timely fashion, in front of managers and peers (if possible) and ensuring it’s personalised, are key to making it meaningful. Of course, when peers witness recognition moments and understand why their colleagues are being appreciated, this also reinforces the importance of displaying the right behaviours.

Accompanying the recognition moment with a reward is an important consideration and may increase the likelihood of the praised behaviours being repeated. From points for a gift of their choice through to a symbolic award, rewards can play an effective role in elevating the importance of the recognition moment, making it all the more memorable.

Adapting in the face of change

As it stands, 53 per cent of employees say they’re expected to just push through challenges without complaint, and this is despite the majority of organisations failing to nurture a culture of resilience. In fact, just 30 per cent of employees believe their organisation is nimbly resilient. This needs to change if leaders want their workforces to step up in the face of adversity and adapt to whatever tests the future brings.