Adaptive resilience

I recently returned from a 'management retreat', so called because myself and a small group of arts sector folks were closeted away for 3 days in the delightful setting of the Moller Centre in Cambridge - well, as much as you can be these days, accompanied by our Blackberries and iPhones. Distant from most of the distractions of daily life, we concentrated on the lastest best practice and business models in organisational development, business planning and change management. It was fascinating, stimulating and , the minute I got home, exhausting!
Amongst the various business tools and frameworks we worked with, the one that most resonated with me was the 'spider's web' assessment tool, designed to explore how 'resilient' an organisation might be. As the arts and cultural sector enters an era of unprecedented cuts and changes, it won't necessarily be the strongest or most intelligent that survives but, as Darwin said, the most responsive to change. As introduced to us by the ex-Arts Council guru, Mark Robinson, 'adaptive resilience' is described as "the capacity to remain productive and true to core purpose and identity whilst absorbing disturbance and adapting with integrity in changing circumstances". So this isn't about 'sustainability', it's more proactive and empowering than that.
The assessment chart plots an organisation's strengths and weaknesses against a number of key characteristics of 'adaptive resilience' such as innovation and management of vulnerabilities. And then, of course, the real work starts: intelligent leadership coupled with a determined, creative team of people, all sharing a common goal. Then enough of all this business school malarkey - let's roll up our sleeves and get cracking!