People in every line of work experience mental and physical stressors on the job. Some routine causes of workplace stress include:
The pressure on organizations to change usually leads to increased demands being placed on employees. For example, organizations are rapidly introducing new technologies to improve effectiveness and efficiency. Organizations are also demanding more productivity and continuous process improvement. At the very least, these types of changes mean that employees must learn new knowledge and skills.
In some cases, these initiatives result in workforce reductions or reorganizations that can be quite disruptive. In all cases of organizational change, employees must adapt to new policies, processes, and procedures. They must learn to do things the “new way” and this always creates adversity.
The inability of people and teams to effectively handle workplace adversity and its resulting stress is evidenced by:
Resilience is a collective social phenomenon in organizations where people rely on each other to accomplish difficult and challenging tasks together. Resilience is the ability to overcome adversity. More importantly, resilience is the ability to adapt and grow as a result of the adversity. Resilient teams are stronger together and they make organizational learning and change possible.
Dr. Gene Coughlin’s research on collective resilience identified the following leader practices that build resilient teams. Leaders at all levels should strive to turn these practices into habits.
There are three (3) progressive levels of Resilience-Building Leadership Professional™ (RBLP™) certification. Leader experience, education, and demonstrated competence is required for each certification.
Resilience-Building Leadership Professional™ (RBLP™) certification is for front-line supervisors that meet identified standards of competence for building resilient teams.
Resilience-Building Leadership Professional Coach™ (RBLP-C™) certification is for middle managers that meet identified standards of competence for building resilient teams and facilitating team learning.
Resilience-Building Leadership Professional Trainer™ (RBLP-T™) certification is for senior leaders that meet identified standards of competence for building resilient teams, facilitating team learning, and supporting organizational learning.