Resilience and Strengthening Resilience in Individuals

MAS
Management Advisory Service

www.mas.org.uk
Resilienceandstrengthening
resilienceinindividuals
DerekMowbray
January2011
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08458331597
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Resilienceandstrengtheningresilienceinindividuals
January2011
Resilienceandstrengtheningresilience
inindividuals
DerekMowbray
January2011
Whatismeantbyresilience?
Wearedrivenbyaneedtosurvive.
Resilienceisatermthatisoftenusedtomeanbouncingbackfromaterribleeventorhaving
strength to cope, or being determined to see things through to the end. All these meanings
imply people being mentally strong, sufficiently strong to maintain a sense of wellbeing whilst
facingchallenges.
Resilienceisaboutsurvivalandgrowth.
Personalresilienceisthecapacitytomobilisepersonalfeaturesthatenableindividuals,groups
and communities (including controlled communities such as a workforce) to prevent, tolerate,
overcomeandbeenhancedbyadverseeventsandexperiences.(DerekMowbray2010)
Canresiliencebemeasured?
There are a number of questionnaires available to measure individual resilience. In choosing a
questionnaire,careneedstobetakeninidentifyingthepurposeoftakingameasurement,andin
how valid and reliable is the chosen instrument. Resilience is dynamic, as shall be shown, and
many questionnaires produce a different answer when used at different times and in different
circumstances.
TheResilienceAssessmentQuestionnaire(http://www.mas.org.uk/quest/analysis1.htm)provides
anassessmentthathasfacevalidityformostpeopleatthetimeitiscompleted.However,this
helps people to focus attention on a particular aspect of resilience that may require
strengthening.Itdoesnotprovideaguaranteethatpeoplewhoscorewellareresilienttoevery
adverseeventtheyencounter.
Whyisresilienceimportant?
Mostorganisationsfacetheseriouschallengeofpsychologicalpresenteeism.Thisisatermused
todescribepeoplewhoattendworkbutcannotperformattheirbestbecauseofeventsathome
oratworkthatdiverttheirconcentrationandattention.
Thecausesofpsychologicalpresenteeismaremany,andtheyareshownlaterasrisksandthreats
toourwellbeing.
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However,thecostofpsychologicalpresenteeismisestimatedtobe1.5timesthecombinedcosts
of sickness absence and staff turnover attributable to psychological distress. For some
organisationsthisisamassivecostthatislargelypreventable.
Oneapproachtopreventingpsychologicalpresenteeismistostrengthentheresilienceofpeople
atworkagainsttherisksandthreatsthatoccuratwork.Thisisparticularlyimportantattimesof
addedchallengesuchaswhenbusinessesandservicesarefacedwitheconomicthreatsandneed
to maintain the performance of their managers and employees throughout difficult and
challengingtimes.
Resilience is also important to individuals at a personal level. Those managers and employees
facinganuncertainfuturewillneedalltheinnerstrengththeycanmustertoenergisethemselves
to take advantage of changing circumstances. Strengthening personal resilience will help with
this. Employers, faced with making changes to their staff, will need to maintain a concern for
their staff when they leave, for reputational and sound business reasons, for times when
businessesandservicesneedtorecruitthesameskilledemployeesoncemorefromashrinking
poolofexpertise.
Whendoweneedtocallonourresilience?
Events
Weexperienceeventsallthetime.Inpsychologicaltermseventsformschemasthatweevaluate,
absorb, accommodate, memorise and respond to. Schemas are like vignettes, scenes and
picturesthatchangeconstantly.
Eventstakeplacewithinacontext.Ourevaluationofaneventisassistedbyourinterpretationof
thecontextinwhichtheeventtakesplace.
For the most part we tolerate events semiconsciously because we have experienced them
before,andourbrainspaylittleattentiontothemintermsofplacingourselvesonalertaboutthe
event.
Occasionally an event will be evaluated by us as being different, and we will focus on why the
eventisdifferentandtrytoestablishmeaningoftheeventitself.Inthesesituationswetendto
seetheeventasawholeabang,orsomeonefallingoverunexpectedlyandthenbeginto
find meaning in the event by exploring the event in greater detail where did the bang come
from?Whatwasitlikeagun,firework,carbackfiring?
Sometimes we place ourselves on alert concerning planned events. Such events may be
particularlychallengingorinvolvepersonalitieswerespondbadlytowards.Astheseeventsare
expected,wemayfindourselvesrehearsinghowtotoleratethem.
Ourresponseisbasedonourevaluationoftheeventandthemeaningweattachtoit.Howwe
respondisdeterminedbyourpersonalfeaturesandourcapacitytomobilisethesefeatures.This
isshowninthediagrambelow.
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Risksandthreateningevents
Thereareforeseeablerisksandeventsthatweallexperienceatleastonceinourlives.Theseare
risksandthreatstoourpersonalwellbeingthesensewehaveoffeelingwell.Ifwefeelwellwe
performbetterthanifwefeelill.Wecanfeelillifwearethreatened,assuchthreatsareagainst
oursurvival,andplacesusonalert.
Our primary risk and threat is ourselves. People cause distress to others on a regular basis,
principally because of our difficulty in controlling the responses of others to us. As we wish to
maintain control of ourselves and others, we develop many mechanisms for exercising the
controloverothers,suchasemail,telephone,raisedvoice,intimidation,actualthreatsincluding
coercion, regulations, laws, kidnapping, and war. They may each cause psychological distress
dependingonourdegreeofresilience.
Thesecondaryrisksandthreatsarisefromtheexistenceoforganisations.Weliveinthecontext
of organisations all the time, and they are constantly being formed and disbanded. Some are
entirelyinformal,suchasabusqueueordinnerparty;othersareformalandrecognisedlegallyas
organisationssuchasbusinessesorservices.Asorganisationssurviveanddeclineasaresultof
their ability to respond appropriately to internal and external pressures they go through many
changesandthesecantriggerpotentialrisksandthreatstotheirworkforce.
Thethirdlevelrisksandthreatsarisefromeventsthattakeplaceinorganisations.These,often,
reflectthefailedinteractionbetweenpeople.Informalorganisations,whichmaybedescribedas
controlled communities, the failed interaction is often between the controller (managers) and
staff.
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The impact of these risks and threats is to our wellbeing and performance, and to the
performance of organisations, as shown in the right hand circle in the diagram below.
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Risksandthreatscausepsychologicaldistress
Attitude
Risksandthreatstriggerachallengetooursurvivalandwellbeing.Weaddressthechallengeand
respond to the risks and threats according to our attitude towards them. Our attitudes are
determinedbyourthoughts,feelingsandbehaviour.
Stress
Risksandthreatstoindividualstendtocausestress.
Stressisatermusedtodenotedegreesofanxietyanddepression.Asthereareseveraldegrees
of intensity, there are some degrees of stress where early remedial action can prevent
deteriorationtowardsmoreintensivedegreesofstress.Ideally,theaimwouldbetopreventany
degreeofstressfromoccurringinthefirstplace.
Theselevelsofintensityaredescribedaspressure(astimulantuntilitcontinuesbeyondpersonal
control)tension(apartialstimulantuntilitgoesbeyondpersonalcontrol)strain(adiversion)
stress(animpairment).
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Ourattitudetowardseventsinfluencesthedegreeofintensityofourstressfulreactiontoevents.
Strengtheningresiliencewillmoderateourattitudesandattenuatetheintensityofourstressful
reaction.
Ourreactiontoevents
Resilienceplaysakeypartinourreactionstoevents.Forthemostpartwereacttoeventssemi
consciouslybecausewehaveexperiencedsimilareventsbefore,andwehavenocuesthatplace
usonalert.Cuesaretriggersthatalertustosomethingwemaynothaveexperiencedbefore,or,
havingexperiencedasimilareventbefore,placesusonalertbecauseweknowourreactionwill
requireparticularattention.
Asshownabove,ourreactiontoeventsisdeterminedbyourattitudetowardstheeventitself.
Whereeventsareariskorthreattooursurvivalwebecomealerttothem.
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Processofreactingtoevents
Wegothroughprocessesinreactingtoanevent:
1) WhoamI?theanswerliesinourpersonalfeaturesfeaturesthatmakeuswhoweare
atthetimeoftheeventandinformourattitudetowardstheevent.
2) Whatdoesthiseventmeantome?theanswerliesinourevaluationoftheeventfrom
whichweinterprettheeventintoameaningonwhichwebaseourreaction.This,also,
informsourattitudetowardsanevent.
3) Whatwillbetheoutcome?theanswerliesintheskills,personalfeaturesandactionwe
take to achieve an outcome that we want. This, also, informs our attitude towards an
event.
Strengtheningresilienceisaprocessofmoderatingourattitudestowards
anevent
Ourattitudetowardsaneventwilltriggersomeorallofthefeelings,thoughtsandbehaviours
shownearlier.
Strengthening resilience is a process that moderates our feelings, thoughts and behaviours to
enableustosurviveeffectivelyandtomoveonwithenergytogrowanddevelop.
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WhoamI?Personalfeatures
We are driven by the need to survive. Resilience is a process that helps us to survive. It, also,
helps us to grow and develop as individuals. Overcoming an adverse event adds to our self
esteem, which adds to our confidence, which enables us to approach a similar future adverse
event with an attitude that effectively tells us weve been here before and it was a piece of
cake!.
Ourevaluationofeventsinvolvesourpersonalfeatures.Theseincludeourabilitytomaintain
controlofourselves,ourtoleranceofevents,our senseofselfesteem,ourpersonalattributes
that influence our behaviour; our values and our beliefs; our level of intelligence and the
personality type we are; our feelings, emotions, motivation, attitude, and our sense of self
efficacyinachievingourselfinterests.Humouris,also,akeyfeature.Traininginstrengthening
resilienceisaboutstrengtheningandbringingclaritytothesepersonalfeatures.Adescriptionof
whatthesetermsmeanisprovidedintheappendix.
Influencesonourpersonalfeatures
Throughout our lives we accumulate skills, knowledge and experiences that build our personal
features.
Instrengtheningourresiliencewecanidentifyfiveinfluencesinbuildingourpersonalfeatures.
Theyare:
Experiencestheexperienceswehavethroughoutlifethatcontributetoourresilience,amongst
which are challenges, education, our awakening awareness of factors affecting our and other
peopleslives,androlemodels,suchasparentsandteachers.
Skillsskillsinidentifyingpurpose,planningandorganisingourlivesathomeandatwork;our
expertiseincertaintopicsorhobbiesthatturnintoapassionforthesubject;ourabilitytoresolve
problemsandchallenges,andourabilitytoplaygamesforfunandenjoyment.
Interaction our ability to interact and communicate with others to survive and grow, with
abilitytoengagewithothers,understandingthatreciprocalsupportisessentialtoachievingour
interests; our ability to act appropriately in different contexts, and our understanding that we
needtobeanattractorforpeopletoengagewithuseffectively.Thisalladdstoconfidence.
Relationshipsourunderstandingofwhoisimportanttous,andhowstrongtherelationshipis;
our ability to generate commitment and trust within relationships, using style such as
transaction,transformationandadaptivetechniques.Anexplanationofthesetermsisfoundin
theappendix.
Humancapitaltheaccumulatedskills,knowledgeandexperienceacquiredthroughoutlifethat
equip us with our personal sense of worth, esteem and confidence. Our capital is built from
economic,cultural,political,eroticandsocialfactors.Anexplanationofthesetermsisfoundin
theappendix.
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Whatdoesthiseventmean?
Evaluation
Allourpersonalfeaturesplayapartintheevaluationofevents.Theyhelpusdefinethemeaning
ofevents,andhelptodeterminetheactionwetake.Themoredevelopedourpersonalfeatures
become,thestrongerisourresiliencetoadverseevents.
This doesnt imply that infinite development leads to infinite resilience. We are all capable of
experiencing events that leave us shocked and bewildered, as we struggle to understand the
meaningoftheeventandwhyitshouldhappen.Sometimeseventscauseustobecomefrozen
by shock and incapable of mobilising the features we possess to tolerate an adverse event.
Under such circumstances we need help from someone else, to bring us out of the frozen
sensationandhelpusmobiliseourinnerfeatures.
Ourcapacitytoevaluateaneventdependsonourknowledgeandunderstandingofthefollowing
factors:
Objectiveevidencequantifiablefactsabouttheevent;thisclarifiesdegreesofuncertainty.
Subjectiveevidencequalitativefactswhichhelpusmakepersonaljudgments.
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Appropriatenesswheretheeventfitswiththecontextinwhichtheeventhappens;anything
weregardasunusualplacesusonalert.We,also,haveasenseoftimelinessastowhetherthe
eventshouldhavehappenednow.
Groupthink this normally refers to group opinions that turn into certainties regardless of the
evidence;inthissituationitreferstowhatweobserveothersdoinginthesamesituation.
Experiencesourmobilisingofourownpreviousexperiencesofasimilarevent,andhowthese
influencethemeaningofthisevent.
Fairnessourinnersenseoffairnessastowhethertheeventischallengingoursenseoffairness.
Ifwefeelsomethingisunfairitinfluencesourattitudetowardstheevent.
Expectationourexpectationastowhatmayhappennext,andwhetherwecaninfluencethe
nexteventthatfollowsthisevent.
Wetakeaccountofeachofthesefactorswhenevaluatinganeventandseekingmeaningfromit.
Thesefactorsworktogether,andifanyoneofthemcreatesdiscomfortwetendtobecomemore
concernedabouttheevent,andcallonourpersonalfeaturestobecomemobilisedtoconsider
theactionwetakeinresponsetotheevent.
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Whatwillbetheoutcome?
Actionandinaction
Resiliencehasmanyingredientsandisaboutmanythingsitsaboutcapacitytodosomething.
Thecapacitytodosomethingdoesntmeanthatsomethingwillbedone.Theactiontakeninthe
faceofaneventisachoicebetweencompetingdemandsinactionandaction.
Inaction
Inactionmightbestimulatedbyfear;inactionmight,equally,bestimulatedbyresolvingthefear
through non verbal blaming someone or something else for the event, producing a passive
reaction.Inaction,also,maybeaconsequenceofexperiencingmanysimilarsituationswhenwe
feelthatthereisnothingwecando,asituationsometimescalledlearnedhelplessness.
Someeventscreateconflictingideasinourmind,(forexample,tostaywiththesameemployer
but doing something we dont wish to do as its less challenging, or deciding to leave the
employer) what we call cognitive dissonance, where there is a conflict between potential
cognitiveoutcomestoasituation,somethingourmindscannottolerate.Oneoptionforresolving
theconflictistoblamesomeoneorsomethingelse,andtherebymaintainourselfesteem(asno
faultisattributabletous,itsattributabletosomeone/thingelse,forexample,doingsomething
wedontwishtodoasitslesschallengingisthefaultoftheemployer,whilstmaintainingself
esteem),whilsttheotheroptionistotakeaction,therebyplacingpersonalesteematriskdueto
the uncertain outcome of the action. Those with strong resilience are more likely to place self
esteem at risk and take action, particularly if we have experienced a similar event before and
overcomeitpositively.
Action
Action is stimulated by an evaluation of the event. The evaluation provides meaning. Our
personal features determine how the evaluation is conducted and the likely outcome. We also
performanassessmentastothepossibleoutcomeoftakingpurposefulactionversusinaction.
Purposeful action in this context also may mean deciding not to take action because the
evaluationconcludesthatinactionisthebetterwayofmovingforwardandsurviving.
Enforcedaction
Ifweareobligedtotakeaction,andourresilienceislow,weneedtofindwaysofstrengthening
resilience and self esteem in order to equip us with the strength to take advantage of the
opportunities that enforced action offers us. One aspect of this is that self esteem may be
maintainedbyblamingtheemployerfortheenforcedaction.However,inordertotakepositive
personalactionarisingfromtheenforcedactionwillrequirestrongresilience.
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Influentialactivities
Rather than letting events overtake us and control our destiny, we need to strengthen our
resilience to control our responses to adverse events. Maintaining personal control requires
discipline and techniques. The mobilisation of discipline and techniques requires constant
practiceandreinforcement.
Thereareanumberofactivitiesthatstrengthenourcapacitytoberesilient.Theyare:
Writing it is clear that writing down thoughts, ideas, feeling, emotions, plans and grandiose
schemeshelpsustoachievewhatwewant.Ifwedomorethanwriteareflectivediary,butwrite
whatwewantfromasituation,westandabetterchanceofachievingit.Thethinkingprocessin
writingevaluateswhatwewrite,inparticularwhenwereadwhatwehavewritten.
Imagination our imagination is enormously powerful. Our tendency is to imagine the worst,
sometimes known as catastrophising, as this provides us rehearsal time if something terrible
actually happens. On the other hand, if our imagination is positive and constantly imagines a
positiveoutcome,thistransmitsitselfintoaction.
Positive reinforcement we respond best to positive reinforcement, normally someone else
sayingsomethingpositiveaboutus.Intheabsenceofthis,selftalkhasadramaticimpactonhow
wefeelaboutourselvesandtheactionswetake.Sometimesthisiscalledselfaffirmation.Itisa
methodthathelpsdevelopmotivation,andiskeytochangingthoughts,feelingsandbehaviours.
Purposefulactsthoseofuswhoknowwhatwewanthaveapurposefromwhichpurposeful
acts follow. These have the features that enable us to ride over adverse events as we are
focusedonachievingourpurpose,andcanfinditeasiernottobedeflectedfromthejourneywe
havesetourselves.Envisioningthefutureinapositivewayprovidesmotivationandfocuswhen
allaroundusisinchaos.
Triplelooplearningwhenwewishtoadopthabitsthatstrengthenourresilienceweneedto
reinforcethenewhabitsseveraltimes,theleastbeingtwice.Thisisknownastriplelooplearning
where a new idea is introduced, it then needs reinforcing in practical ways at least twice more
beforewebegintoadoptthenewidea.
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Observationsweneedtotakeintoaccountinstrengtheningresilience
Therearesomegeneralobservationsaboutourthoughts,feelingsandbehavioursthathavean
influenceonhowwecanstrengthenourresilience.Understandingeachofthese,andhowthey
impactonourownthoughts,feelingandbehaviours,providesinsightintowhywebehaveinthe
wayswedoandwhyweformtheattitudeswehave.
Wefinditdifficulttosurviveonourowninitiativewithouttheassistanceofothers
Wefinditeasiertosurvive,growanddevelopifweengagewithotherswhoprovideus
withwhatweneed
Wearetheprincipalcauseofpsychologicaldistressinothersthishastheeffectofdis
engagingothersfromus,deprivingusofwhatweneed
Weliveinthecontextoforganisationsthatconstantlyformanddisband
Weallact
Weactaccordingtoourunderstandingofthecontextandhowothersexpectustoact
Wefindcontrollingourselvesdifficult
Wefindcontrollingtheresponseofothersdifficultandslowtomanage
Wearemotivatedbyselfinterest
Wecanonlyjudgeothersbytheirbehaviourandwhattheysay
Weoftenmaskfromotherswhatwegenuinelythinkandfeel
Wearegoodatfalseattributions
Wearehugelysuccessful
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Strengthening our resilience is about strengthening our personal features, our capacity to
interact effectively with others, and our ability to engage in the necessary activities to achieve
these.
Strengthening our resilience also needs to account for our general thoughts, feelings and
behaviours, as described above, and to formulate approaches and techniques that help us
moderateourconditionedandexistinghabitsandbehaviours.
Interaction
The analysis of resilience in individuals has shown it to be a mixture of personal features, a
capabilitytoevaluateevents,andthecapacitytomobilisepersonalfeaturestotakeaction.
Central to survival is the ability to interact effectively with others, in a way that encourages
otherstoprovidewhatweneedtosatisfyourselfinterests.Thecapacitytointeracteffectively,
therefore, is a central aspect of resilience irrespective of the strength of our other personal
features,thecapabilitytoevaluateevents,orthecapacitytomobilisepersonalfeaturestotake
action.
Interactionisaprocessofassessingthesituation,assessingtheexpectationoftheotherperson
inthesituation,providingtotheotherpersonthethingsyoujudgetheotherpersonneedsand
wants to satisfy their self interests in the situation, on the basis that they will reciprocate by
providingyouwiththethingsyouneedtosatisfyyourselfinterests.
Reciprocal support is estimated to occur in more than 50% of interactions, and much higher in
those skilled in interaction. Resilient people need to aim for almost 100% reciprocal support in
theirinteractions.
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Strengtheningresilience
Theaimofstrengtheningresilienceistobuildindividualcapacityinpersonalfeatures,evaluation,
interaction,andtakingaction.
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Strengtheningresilienceanapproach
Inthisapproachtheemphasisisonstrengtheningpersonalfeatures,evaluation,interactionand
the influencing activities that are aimed at embedding resilient attributes and behaviours in
ourselves.
Theapproachadoptsa7elementmodelasshownbelow:
Vision
Ifyoudontknowwhereyouregoingyouwillprobablyendupsomewhereelse
Normally,resilientpeoplewillhaveaclearideaofwhattheyaretryingtoachieveintheirlives,
and will have written this down somewhere. They are likely to review the vision from time to
time, particularly when events seek to divert effort away from achieving the vision. The vision
itselfmightbeblurred;itshouldnotbetimeconstrained,butitshouldbefeasibletoachieve.
The type of exercises that assist with envisioning the future are those that involve
imagination,suchasworkingoutwhatyoureallywanttodowithyourlife,andwriting
anautobiographyofyourselfasseenfromsometimeinthefuture.Imaginationalways
precedesaction.
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Determination
Aslongasyouregoingtothinkanyway,youmayaswellthinkbig
Resilientpeoplewithhighlevelsofdeterminationhavethecapacitytoachievethingsthatthose
with low determination tend not to be able to do. Determination is essentially self driven,
althoughcanbetriggeredbyareactiontoanevent,andrequiresconsiderablefocusonagoal,
taskorvision.Peoplewithhighlevelsofdeterminationalsohavehighselfawarenessknowing
yourselfverywell;highselfadvocacybeingabletoarticulateyourwisheseffectively;andhigh
selfefficacyabeliefinbeingabletoachievealmostanything.
Thetypeofexercisesthatassistinstrengtheningresiliencearethosethat:
Clarify personal values; build human capital; and clarify beliefs. Exercises that build on the
envisioningelement,andusingtheresultsofthoseexercises,also,helpdevelopdetermination.
Interaction
Ifyoualwaysapproacheveryonewithcheerfuloptimism,youwillfindthattheysimplyhaveno
choicebuttorespondinkind
Interactionisabouthowwebehavetowardsotherpeople.Theonlypersonwecontrolisourself,
and yet, to survive and achieve what we need to achieve, we need to control the reactions of
others to our behaviours towards them so that they help us. This is known as reciprocity. To
interact effectively with others we need to understand everything that is going on in an
interaction, almost reading the other persons mind so that we can adjust our behaviour to
respondtohowwethinktheotherpersonisrespondingtous.Weneedtoexploreandrespond
to the other persons self interest, as self interest is our prime motivator, and feed that self
interest for the other person to reciprocate and feed us with elements to support our self
interest.Ifwemanageallthisweareincontrol,andbybeingincontrolwebuildourresilience.
Theexercisesthatassistinstrengtheningresilienceinclude:
Embedding the attributes and applying the behaviours that promote commitment and trust;
Learning how to be assertive and negotiation;rehearsing self talk, expressions and body
language.
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Relationships
Relationshipsmakeyouglow,makeyoucry,makeyouhappy,makeyoudespair,butmakeyou
human
Inorderforustosurviveandprosperweneedtoforgerelationships.Thesearemanyandvaried
that include acquaintances, friends, lovers, all of whom have a different quality to them in
relation to their strength, importance and power, and each appeal to a different aspect of our
ownneed.
Asweallact,itisimportanttoincludeamongstourrelationshipsthosepeoplewithwhomwe
havenoneedtoact.Suchrelationshipsexisttoenableustorechargeandgoforwardtoactin
theworld.
Resilient people have relationships that provide the appropriate reinforcement and support at
thetimeitisrequired.Resilientpeopleneverjudgeanyoneelse;theygiveofthemselvestoeach
relationshipandreaptherewardsoffriendship.
Identifying the strength and importance in relationships, and working on how the improve
relationships.
Problemsolving
Somepeopletakenomentalexercisesapartfromjumpingtoconclusions
Resilient people like to solve problems and rise to challenges, so long as they can resolve the
problems and meet the challenges successfully. Problem solvers are more likely to embrace
challenges than those who do not like problems, and who have little talent for sorting out
puzzlesandgames.Cardgamesplayersarelikelytobemoreinterestedinsolvingproblemsthan
otherssimplybyvirtueoftheirinterestinthinkingoftheopponentandthemovesthatarebeing
thought about. Problem solvers also like to delve into the causes of a problem as a means to
seekingasolution.
Thosethatchallengelogicalthinking,listeningskills,andlateralthinking.
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Organisation
Ifeverythingisundercontrolyourenotgoingfastenough
Peoplewhoarewellorganisedareabletocopewiththechaosofdailylifebetterthanthosewho
do not pay attention to organising themselves, preferring to rely on memory and luck. Being
organised allows individuals to know where they are if their day is disrupted by unforeseen
events. Organised people plan their week and their day in ways that ensure they start work
immediately,andrewardcompletionofnastytasksbynextcompletingenjoyableones.Resilient
people know where they are, and can bring clarity to their working environment by careful
planningandimplementation.Thisprovidesthecapacitytobouncebackafterinterruptionstoa
routineday.
Workingoutwheretimegoes;planning;tacklinguncontrollabletime.
Selfconfidence
Evernoticethatwhatthehellistherightdecision?
Selfconfidenceisclearlyapparentinresilientpeople.Theyneedtoensurethatselfconfidence
doesntturntoarroganceasthiswillnotbeeffectiveininteractionswithothers.Ontheother
hand,selfconfidence,demonstratedinasubtlemanner,isveryattractive,anddrawsothersto
theselfconfidentperson,reinforcingtheirsuccesswithothersandcontributingsignificantlyto
theirresilience.
Theexercisesthatassistwithstrengtheningresilienceinclude:
Placing yourself outside your comfort zone, so anything that is different and challenging,
inducingtensionthatyouknowyoucanresolve.
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Triplelooplearning
Our habits become embedded within us through a process of conditioning and reinforcement.
We can change our habits by adopting the same process, but in a structured manner which is
reinforcedbyasystematicanddisciplinedsetofactivities.
Step1istointroducetheexercisesthatassistwithstrengtheningresilience.Examplesofthese
areprovidedasheadlinesinthispaper.
Step2isforsmallgroupsofpeopletodiscussandargueabouttheexercises,andtofeedbackto
each other their own experiences that relate to the relevant element, so that new ideas and
differentexercisesmightbediscussedandconsidered.
Step3isforeachmemberofthegrouptopracticetheexercisesontheirownoveranextensive
periodoftimeduringwhich
Step4whenthegroupcomestogetheragaintoreinforcetheirprogressbydiscussinghowtheir
exerciseshavegone,andwhattheyareplanningtodonext.
Maintainingadiary
Asdiscussedearlier,writingisanimportantprocessofchangingbehavioursandstrengthening
resolvetotakeaction.
Maintainingadiaryaboutexperiencesandhowwefeelaboutthem,togetherwithwritingdown
visions, plans and actions, will provide the opportunity to reflect on personal progress in
strengtheningresilience.
Resiliencepiggybank
Anapproachthatstrengthensresilienceistobuyapiggybankandeverytimeanadverseevent
occursforwhichpersonalfocusisrequiredtotolerate,overcomeandmoveforwardpositively,
weplacemoneyinthepiggybank.
Thisworkswellwhenweareconfrontedbyacolleagueorfriendwhoisespeciallydifficult,even
abully.Everytimethiscolleagueorfriendactsinathreateningmanner,putmoneyintothepiggy
bank.Attheendofaweekormonth,takethemoneyoutandspenditonsomethingpleasurable.
This provides humour, a diversion from the threatening person, and ultimately pleasure from
purchasing something desirable. We may not be able to control the response of the other
person,but wecanderivesomehiddenpleasure fromtheiradversebehaviour.Eventuallywe
mayalmostwishforanunpleasanteventasweknowwewillderivesomethingdesirablefromit.
Wefindourtolerancestrengthensasdoesourresilience.
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08458331597/01242241882
Page21
January2011
Conclusion
Resilience is about our capacity to tolerate and move on with strength after experiencing an
adverseevent.Throughanunderstandingofhowourresilienceisbuiltandexpandedweareable
tostrengthenourresiliencebytakingcertainactions.
Ourresilienceis,also,strengthenedbyovercomingadverseexperiencesandadverseevents,as
success in overcoming these adds to our self esteem and provides the confidence needed to,
moreeasily,overcomeasimilarexperienceinthefuture.Thismaynothappenforeveryadverse
event, but is a likely outcome for those who have adopted and practised exercises that are
outlinedinthispaper.
www.mas.org.uk
www.orghealth.co.uk
FormoreinformationaboutprogrammestostrengthenresilienceemailBarbaraLeighat
Barbara.leigh@mas.org.ukorcall01242241882.
Derek Mowbray is a Chartered Psychologist and Chartered Scientist. He is visiting Professor of

Psychology at Northumbria University, the founder and a director of OrganisationHealth and the
Management Advisory Service. He is responsible for the development of the Managers Code, the
WellbeingandPerformanceAgendaandotherinitiativesdesignedtopreventpsychologicaldistress
atwork.Hehasaspecialinterestintheimpactthatleadershaveonfollowers.
He is a coach, facilitator and consultant, who also has a specialist practice in resolving serious
conflictsatwork.
www.mas.org.uk
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08458331597/01242241882
Page22
January2011
Appendixmeaningsoftermsinthispaper
Adaptiveprinciples
Shared responsibility for managing an organisation; encourages Elephants in the Room to be
placed on the table and resolved; independent judgment; developing leaders; embedded
learning.
Attractor
Apersontowhompeopleareattractedintimesofchaos
Attitude
Anindividualslikeordislikeforsomeoneorsomething
Beliefs
Opinionsthatareheldtobetrue
Emotions
Astateofmind
Feelings
Aconscioussubjectivefeelingofastateofmind
Humour
Experiencesthatprovokelaughterandamusement
HumanCapital
Socialrelationships
Economicresources
Politicalnetworks
Eroticattractivenessstimulatingeroticsensations
Culturalthearts
Intelligence
Apropertyofthemindincludingrelatedabilities,suchasthecapacitiesforabstract
thought,understanding,communication,reasoning,learning,learningfrompast
experiences,planning,andproblemsolving.
Motivation
Drivingforcewhichcausesustoachievegoals
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Personalattributes
Loyalty
Commitment
Honestyandintegrity
Enthusiasm
Reliability
Personalpresentation
Commonsense
Positiveselfesteem
Senseofhumour
Balancedattitudetoworkandhomelife
Abilitytodealwithpressure
Motivation
Adaptability
Personality
Types,traits,andindividualdifferencesbetweenpeople
Selfefficacy
Thebeliefthatoneiscapableofperforminginacertainmannertoattaincertaingoals
Selfesteem
Aperson'soverallevaluationorappraisalofhisorherownworth
Tolerance
Afair,objective,andpermissiveattitudetowardthosewhosebeliefsorpersonalcharacteristics
(race,religion,nationality,etc.),differfromone'sown.
Transaction
Anagreement,communication, or movement carried out between separate entities or objects,
ofteninvolvingtheexchangeofitemsofvalue,suchasinformation,goods,services,andmoney.
Transformation
An approach that causes change in individuals and social systems. In its ideal form, it creates
valuable and positive change in the followers with the end goal of developing followers into
leaders.
Values
Anabsoluteorrelativeethicalvalue,theassumptionofwhichcanbethebasisforethicalaction.
www.mas.org.uk
www.orghealth.co.uk
08458331597/01242241882
Page24

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