North Highland Research Reveals Only 12 Percent of Organizations Promote Cultures of Resilience that Help Withstand Disruption

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Sep 25, 2017, 11:00 ET

ATLANTA, Sept. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Management consulting firm North Highland, in sponsorship with Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, released a survey report titled Building Resilience From Disruption. To find out how organizations around the world and in a variety of sectors are addressing the reality of continuous change, executives at nearly 500 companies reporting $1 billion-plus in annual revenue were surveyed about how they promote resilience within their companies.

Resilience enables individuals at all levels to reduce stress and perform well under it, learn continuously, and keep work and life balanced. Yet, only 12 percent of survey respondents said they consider their organization's efforts at promoting a culture of resilience to be successful or very successful. With more than three-quarters (78 percent) of respondents indicating they want their organization to minimize disruption from continuous organizational change, it is important to have a framework to prioritize ways for employees to find ongoing success.

"When change is swirling and the going gets tough, nothing – not experience or education or even talent – is as critical to an organization's survival and success as the resilience of its workforce," said Mary Slaughter, Chief People Officer and Managing Director at North Highland. "By gaining a deeper understanding of how resilience begins, how it is fostered, and, conversely, how it can be undermined, organizations can best prepare to take advantage of market opportunities and remain strong in the face of continuous change."

Several actionable insights emerged from the survey that best illustrate ways to keep employees engaged, focused and empowered during times of disruption.

Simplifying organizational structure and giving employees more time to focus on value-adding activities is crucial as almost three-quarters of respondents (72 percent) complained that excessive multitasking and an overload of meetings are common.
90 percent of respondents said their organization should adopt technologies that automate routine work, freeing employees to focus more on the creative aspects of their jobs and combating time intensive administrative work.
De-siloing and leveling hierarchies also diffuse decision-making among a larger population, creating a wider set of organizational leaders. 96 percent of respondents said they support empowering teams to make decisions on their own and 94 percent believe in promoting a sense of autonomy.

Initiating programs and processes that encourage resilience is the easy part, however; sustaining them can be trickier and must be recognized as an organization-wide project if it's to succeed. To learn more about how to create a strong, sustainable culture of resilience, download the complete white paper here.

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About North Highland
North Highland is a global management consulting firm known for helping clients solve their most complex challenges related to customer experience, transformation, performance improvement, and technology and digital. We add value and support our clients across the full spectrum of consulting, from strategy through delivery. We bring the big ideas, then we make them real. North Highland is an employee-owned firm, headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., with more than 3,000 consultants worldwide and 60+ offices around the globe, and has been named as a "Best Firm to Work For" every year since 2007 by Consulting Magazine. The firm is a member of Cordence Worldwide (www.cordenceworldwide.com), a global management consulting alliance. For more information, visit northhighland.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

About Harvard Business Review Analytic Services
Harvard Business Review Analytic Services is an independent commercial research unit within Harvard Business Review Group, conducting research and comparative analysis on important management challenges and emerging business opportunities. Seeking to provide business intelligence and peer-group insight, each report is published based on the findings of original quantitative and/or qualitative research and analysis. Quantitative surveys are conducted with the HBR Advisory Council, HBR's global research panel, and qualitative research is conducted with senior business executives and subject matter experts from within and beyond the Harvard Business Review author community. For more information, visit hbr.org/hbr-analytic-services.

SOURCE North Highland