The Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) has announced the launch of the Resilience Alliance – a new professional relationship aimed at developing and promoting resilience globally.
IWFM will work alongside member organisations – Airmic (risk management and insurance professionals), ASIS International (security professionals) and the Business Continuity Institute (business continuity and resilience professionals) – to collectively promote the importance of resilience and establish best practice ‘resilience’ initiatives. The Alliance will also will address the implications of the changes and sudden disruptions faced by organisations already in 2020, whilst also aiming to develop and promote a common mutual understanding of what is meant by the term ‘resilience’.
The basis for the collaboration lies on the belief that there is no single discipline that can claim to cover all aspects of resilience, and organisational resilience is most effectively delivered when operational and professional silos are broken down. Resilience is delivered by multidisciplinary specialists working together towards a common purpose, therefore risk management, workplace and facilities, security and business continuity professionals all play a key role.
Each member organisation of the Resilience Alliance has developed its own lens and approach to the subject of resilience based on its unique purpose, activities and individual member interest. However, they also recognise that many resilience challenges are faced and shared by all. The Resilience Alliance will undertake joint communication, thought leadership initiatives and research projects on the good practices organisations can develop and adopt to better prepare themselves for the impact of sudden disruptions or crises.
Each body has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to demonstrate that risk professionals across the spectrum believe that resilience is a team game and that by collaborating they are stronger.
Linda Hausmanis, Chief Executive of IWFM, said: “We are excited to be a part of the Resilience Alliance and look forward to building on our existing collaborations towards a knowledge exchange platform that will benefit all of our members. Covid-19 has underlined the importance of resilience as organisations have needed to be adaptive and flexible in the face of challenging and uncertain circumstances. Resilience will continue to be paramount in the coming months as we emerge from the crisis; likewise, flexibility will remain key to any newly laid plans as we continue into the unknown.”
Julia Graham, Deputy CEO and Technical Director of Airmic, explained: “The Resilience Alliance is a fantastic opportunity to drive change in organisations, making them fitter and ultimately more ‘risk intelligent’. The events of 2020 have shown us we live in a fast moving, volatile and connected world – one that is constantly changing and where working in silos is no longer an option.
“Airmic is delighted to work with our fellow Resilience Alliance members on the projects and thought leadership issues, across public platforms, which will demonstrate the power of collaboration.”
Peter O’Neil, CEO of ASIS International, stated: “Resilience plays a significant role in the security profession as a whole, particularly as it relates to crisis management and business continuity challenges. The ability to prepare for, and adapt to, changing conditions and withstand and recover rapidly from disruptions is a major role of security professionals worldwide. We are excited to join the Resilience Alliance and look forward to developing future tools and resources for our profession (and others) to strengthen organisations across the globe.”
