Business Continuity vs. Organizational Resilience

Firms today are struggling to find their bearings after years of uninterrupted crises – not just COVID-19 but concurrent emergencies, such as war in Eastern Europe, cyber threats, supply chain disruptions, staffing shortages, rising inflation, natural disasters, and more.

As companies get pushed to the brink, their senior leaders must ask, what will it take to stay ahead?

Organizational resilience and business continuity come to mind. For some, though, these fields all sound the same.

Despite crucial overlaps, organizational resilience and business continuity are distinct practices. Understanding the very real nuances between them is key to staying ahead in today’s volatile business environment.

What are the main differences?

For starters, organizational resilience is the ability of an organization to absorb change and adapt, so as to deliver on objectives, survive, and prosper. Business continuity, on the other hand, is the capability of an organization to continue the delivery of products and services within acceptable time frames at a predefined capacity during a disruption.