open Think Tank

by Veronika Altenbach

06. October 2020 4 minutes

As a guest at the IBAW (Institute for Professional Training and Further Education), we had the opportunity to hold an «open Think Tank» webinar in cooperation with abc Campus on September 24th, 2020, focusing on the topic of corporate resilience.

The «open Think Tank» events are designed to address conceptual approaches, process models and best practices on various topics. Together we will look at facts and possibilities, suggestions and ideas, which will then be discussed in a plenary session.

Iwan Müller (abc Campus) moderated the whole event while Frank Drews (abc Campus) introduced the topics.

Topic of September 24, 2020

Corporate Resilience

All kinds of companies around the world have to deal with radical changes that threaten their existence. As a result, the term «resilience» is increasingly becoming the focus of a corporate strategy.

But what does corporate resilience mean?

The term describes the ability to maintain minimal functionality despite massive interference from disruptive factors to be able to return to (at least) the normal state after surviving a catastrophe.

To better understand the definition of «resilience», we must first take a closer look at the term «catastrophe».

A catastrophe is a decisive, momentous accident.

Disasters have always been a part of our life and history, yet we are always surprised when they occur. In many cases, they have an exponential magnitude and usually come in under our radar. They are dynamic and mostly become noticeable when it is already too late. Especially the resulting chain reactions turn an unforeseen event into a catastrophe that can no longer be managed.

For years, companies have been trying to counteract this with a proven risk management system. Those who have already participated in such a program quickly realize that catastrophes cannot be represented in a risk management framework because the criteria of a catastrophe are always found outside of

How can you as a company prepare for such a catastrophe?

Strengthen your corporate resilience!

By looking at possible risk scenarios, you will become familiar with the skills needed to survive an accidental event. Play through the scenarios, even though it is most likely that it will never happen, but instead a different situation will occur. This kind of preparation alone will make your company more resilient. This brings us back to the actual topic.

Having arrived at this point, Frank opened the discussion session, in which various experiences on the topic were exchanged.

Do you have a topic that you would like to share with the «open Think Tank» community?