Organizational Resilience: Implementing and Auditing The American National Standard

Michael D. Moberly    July 19, 2010

I research and write (produce) the ‘Business IP and Intangible Asset Blog’ to provide insights and sometimes alternative views about protecting, managing, and delivering value from intangible assets.  My blog is directed primarily to company management teams, boards, entrepreneurs, researchers, and employees.  In that sense, each blog post, while sometimes inspired by the the work of others, is conceived and written in a respectful manner absent the influence of others.  Today’s post however, may appear to some, as constituting a deviation from those principles.

For example, this past week I had the pleasure (and enjoyment) of participating in and learning from a two and one half day seminar hosted by the American Society for Industrial Security International titled, ‘Organizational Resilience: Security, Preparedness and Continuity Management Systems – Requirements And Guidance For Use’.

Without equivocation, I can say my attendance/participation in the seminar was well worth my time and expense, especially in the sense of, upon completion of the seminar, being, quite literally, on the leading edge, of what I and others believe, particularly Dr. Marc Siegel, the seminars’ principle instructor, will be the standards’ relatively rapid rise in acceptance and integration by U.S. companies.

The program itself was appropriately framed by Siegel as encompassing a ‘comprehensive management systems approach for the prevention, protection, preparedness, response, mitigation, continuity, and recovery for disruptive incidents resulting in emergency, crisis, or disaster’.  Given that my business and professional interests focus almost exclusively on issues related to intangible assets and intellectual property, it was important too me that I be able to adapt much of the seminars’ content, i.e., the standards themselves, to be applicable to intangibles and IP.  

After all, its an economic fact – business reality that 65+% of most company’s value, sources of revenue, and future wealth creation today lie in – are directly related to intangible assets.  Thus, a seminar on organizational resilience must fully address intangible assets.  While the seminar produced many practical deliverables to attendees, Siegel clearly and consistently recognized how essential it was to convey the new standard embody intangible assets, not solely physical-tangible assets. 

As I pointed out in my July 15th post, the requirements and guidance (accompanying the organization resilience standard), particularly as conveyed through the experienced and global eyes of Dr. Siegel, is not merely a warmed over version of (conventional-traditional) business continuity and contingency planning which still retains, in many instances, a framework and overall approach that is more reactive than proactive.

Whereas organization resilience, as conveyed in the standard itself, as well as in principle and practice, is embedded with a singularly proactive mantra, especially in terms of its approach and execution through a ‘management system’.

To be sure, the recent and on-going challenges experienced by BP, Massey Coal, Toyota, and Johnson and Johnson, and others, are but a few examples of the increasingly essential role in which a properly designed and executed organization resilience program (that encompass the requirements and guidance noted in the Standard) would have likely made a significant difference not only in the disruptive event itself (that adversely affected each company) but, how the companies response following the event. 

It now seems self-evident that an organizations’ ability to quickly, efficiently, and effectively adapt to a change, whether they be changes in policy, market forces, environmental factors, and/or disruptive events (i.e., natural, intentional, or unintentional) by implementing adaptive and proactive strategies that are recovery oriented, can not be dismissed out of hand.

In todays global business environment in which risks are very much asymmetric and ‘coming at your company 24/7’, taking time to objectively examine the benefits of the organizational resilience standard and reflecting on your company’s organizational resilience posture, can indeed, be a worthy use of time for any management team, board, and their respective stakeholders.

It is in this regard, that I encourage readers of this blog to give strong consideration to pursuing this organizational resilence seminar and closely following the work of Dr. Siegel and ASIS International on this necessary and worthy endeavor.

 The ‘Business IP and Intangible Asset Blog’ is researched and written by Mr. Moberly to provide insights and additional views for company management teams, boards, and employees to aid in identifying, assessing, valuing, protecting, and profiting from their intangible assets.  I welcome and respect your comments and perspectives at [email protected].

Divi Real Estate Agent | Luxury Properties

Office

1234 Divi St. #1000, San Francisco, CA 94220

Phone Number

(255) 352-6258

Business Hours

24/ 7 / 365

Sign up to get latest news & Listings:

Do you need some help?

Vivamus eleifend mattis eu faucibus at felis eget. Tincidunt at ut etiam turpis consectetur euismod. Ullamcorper aenean sem sceleris que sed vel facilisi netus ut. Pharetra vitae sed ut sed sit pharetra sed. Sit sollicitudin potenti laoreet auctor non nunc. Quam viverra commodo vel adipiscing tortor ultricies.
Copyright © 2024 | Privacy Policy
Divi – Real Estate Agent