This presentation will highlight ways in which an organization can develop and maintain resiliency in times of change. We know change is inevitable, and it can provide wonderful opportunities. As an organization, we need to be prepared to take advantage of those opportunities and retain the employees who will enable us to excel in the future.

1. Stacey Bradley
Associate Vice President
Division of Student Affairs & Academic Support
University of South Carolina
9 Tips for Organizational Resilience
Position Your Organization to Manage Change

2. Session Objectives
• Introduce Practical Methods for Organizational
Resilience in Times of Change
• Identify One Strategy Each Person Can Employ in
His/Her Organization in Next 60 Days

3. Resilient Organizations
1. Seek Feedback
– Other departments
• Aware of new opportunities, initiatives, conversations
• Expertise and knowledge that may alter your
approach to an initiative
• Rearview mirrors – we all have blind spots

4. 1. Seek Feedback (cont.)
– Internal staff
• You need to know if your staff members are unclear,
overloaded, or overwhelmed
• You also need to know if they see something you
don’t
Resilient Organizations

5. 2. Engage in Succession Planning – leadership changes happen
– About the organization as well as the people
– Roles often form around skills of certain individuals
– Opportunity to re-envision roles and org structure
Resilient Organizations

6. 3. Create Paths for Growth and Advancement
– Enriching jobs will lead to retention
– Differentiate entry-level jobs from more experienced
roles
– Encourage delegation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFP_HBfzYSo
Resilient Organizations

7. 4. Take Calculated Risks – practice small-scale change
– Pilot, pilot, pilot
– Recognize when something didn’t materialize as planned
• Stop doing it or change it
• Repurpose funding for another opportunity
• Change = opportunity not threat
Resilient Organizations

8. 5. Are Net Givers – you will be involved with change and practice
makes perfect
– Helping others makes organizations come together for a
larger purpose
– If other orgs view your unit as a helper, people will seek
out your input and support; they will also seek to help
you out
Resilient Organizations

9. 6. Operate with Honesty and Integrity
– Organizations with integrity breed a culture of integrity
– Managing change is extremely difficult if you don’t have
TRUST
– Practice what you preach – if you think someone isn’t
watching – you are wrong
Resilient Organizations

10. 7. Trust the Data – except when it doesn’t make sense
– Know your industry, your trends, your “big picture”
– If something doesn’t make sense, step back and question
it
– As an organization, develop comfort with asking
questions
– Changing circumstances, tight deadlines, new projects:
even more important
Resilient Organizations

11. 8. Trust the People
– Hire people who have the skills, aptitude and attitude to
succeed
– Set clear expectations
– Have their backs
Resilient Organizations

12. 9. Develop a Comfort with Uncertainty
– You will rarely have perfect information
– There is value in caution
– There is value in recognizing when you need to get on the
bus and go
Resilient Organizations

13. How Can You Build Resilience in Your Org?
– Seek Feedback
– Engage in Succession Planning
– Create Paths for Growth & Advancement
– Take Calculated Risks
– Be a Net Giver
– Operate with Honesty and Integrity
– Trust the Data (except when it doesn’t make sense)
– Trust the People
– Develop a Comfort with Uncertainty
One Area of Focus – Next 60 days

14. Some Ideas:
– Existing project – bring in someone else; seek feedback
– Delegate something
– Develop a pilot
– Decide to stop doing something based on an analysis of
data
– Seek an opportunity to make a project housed in another
unit better
– Commit to a “big picture review” approach
– Encourage your staff to develop a pilot, reach out to
another area, stop doing something based on data, etc.
One Area of Focus – Next 60 days

15. Thank You!