I had not been home for two weeks, so it was good to have sun and blue sky on Sunday for my walk along the beach. In the time I was away an intense storm front had passed through the region and It was interesting to see the change it had wrought on the beach front.
The landscape was changed by the power of the storm. In a similar way disasters and disruptions can create substantial change in markets and our operational landscapes.
Fortunately nature provides the original (and probably the best) model for the adaptive cycle and resilience. Best because it does not require prior identification of the threats, nor does it rely on comprehensive procedures and management structures that will be invoked in times of storm. And unlike engineering approaches, nature does not claim perfect foresight to design and build an optimal end-state.
You don’t know when, or how bad your storm will be. Nor can you anticipate every impact.
We need adequate, not exhaustive, design and planning.
If you want to do exhaustive, apply the resources to developing adaptive capacity, that is where you will get the return on investment.
There are no silver bullets, ISO standards or other cookie cutter aids to tell you exactly how to do be adaptive. You will have to think for yourself, practice and learn from mistakes to improve your craft.
That should scare many away!
How much planning is enough in your world?
How are you building Adaptive Capacity?
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