Training Industry Magazine - November/December 2020 - 19

maintaining
the ability to operate without
normal command and control.
Human
resources
(HR)
teams
participate in BCP conversations,
but mostly from the standpoint of
succession planning, as well as how
we contact our people, ensure their
safety and enable them to return
to work.
What can get left out of BCP
discussions regarding planning, testing
and rehearsing is the "soft stuff."
How do people think and feel during
disruption? How do they operate
effectively and efficiently? What skills
do they need to take care of customers,
keep distribution channels open and
preserve supply chain relationships
during disruption? This is the realm of
learning and development (L&D).
Battered by overlapping crises of the
pandemic, economic challenge and
social unrest, companies increasingly
recognize that planning for business

HOW
DOES L&D FIT
IN THE BCP
CONVERSATION?
As much as we need backup
sites, rollover capability, trusted
data sources, redundant power
and resilient communications, we
also need people to put all those
assets to good use. Employees and
leaders at every level must prioritize
appropriately and problem-solve
creatively while concurrently dealing
with the emergency and its aftermath.
We need fast reaction times, coolheaded thinking and the ability to
execute the plan.
We also must prepare our people to
deal with the unavoidable surprises and
impact that accompanies disruption.
We want them to help customers,
suppliers and other stakeholders who
may be less prepared deal with both
the material and emotional impacts
of that disruption. We depend
on our people to get through
crisis; we also depend on them
to support others who we need
to survive with us.
In our experience, the human
aspect of business continuity
includes "hardening" our people
skills by:
* Listening with curiosity and
empathy.

continuity also
encompasses developing
the mindset and skills
necessary for long-term resilience. In this
context, L&D can play an increasingly
pivotal role in preparing and enabling
our organizations to change, adapt and
persevere through crisis.

*
Joint problem-solving to
collaborate on solutions, both
internally and externally.
* Strategically thinking to separate
the signal from the noise, to look
at context, to zoom out from
immediate challenges to look at the
big picture.

In a recent survey conducted by Vantage
Partners, HR and learning professionals
identified these as the top three critical
skills for leaders. When those skills were
missing, consequences included poor
decision-making, employee burnout,
lack of buy-in or follow-through, and
damaged relationships. In dealing with
a disruption that threatens business
continuity, these skills can make the
difference between coming out the
other end. Preserving rather than
damaging relationships, as one of the
authors noted in a recent Medium article,
becomes key to successful recovery.

WHAT ABOUT
WHEN THE CRISIS
CONTINUES?
The interwoven health, economic and
social justice crises of 2020 have taught
us that there is another dimension to
disaster recovery and BCP. Unlike the
disruption scenarios we commonly
plan for - accidents, fires, catastrophic
weather, utility service or supply
breakdowns - the disruption may not
be short lived. We may be in this for
the long haul. In our survey, 85 percent
of HR and L&D leaders agreed that the
"stress and turbulence of the current
conditions" have resulted in L&D teams
placing a larger emphasis on "building
organizational resilience."
BCP in a longer-lasting disruption is not
so much about quick response time but
rather about sustaining both material
and human capabilities. This is not a
sprint to safety; our people need to
maintain their energy and morale for
a "marathon" of uncertain mileage.
A core element of training for some
of the world's elite special operations

T R A I N I N G I N DUSTR Y MAGAZ INE - L& D'S ROLE IN CHANGE MANAGE ME NT I WWW. T RAININGINDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE

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Training Industry Magazine - November/December 2020

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