Future Skills: Why resilience has become indispensable

What does it take to successfully embed resilience in organizations? How can a company prepare for the unknown? How do I lead my team in the face of uncertainty?

The COVID-19 pandemic posed an enormous challenge for leadership and organizations worldwide. Prof. Dr. Lothar Wieler, former president of the Robert Koch Institute, and Dr. Esther-Maria Antão, who designed the institute's scientific communication, were actively involved at the center of the crisis. Both now work at HPI's Chair for Digital Global Public Health.

"The most important thing is a good feedback culture: employees need enough trust to be able to express their views. However, this culture must be lived throughout the entire organization, and it can only be transformed collectively – especially because this culture is not so strongly developed here in Germany," says Lothar Wieler. “Transparency promotes trust, which is the foundation for navigating crises successfully as a team.”

But how do you proactively prepare for crises? "Every organization should identify potential risks and run through them theoretically. You have to challenge people to solve problems, over and over again," Wieler explains. Esther-Maria Antão shares what a resilient organization looks like: "Everyone must be clear about roles and responsibilities. Time is also always a factor in a crisis: you have to make decisions quickly, it doesn't have to be the perfect decision."