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Entering the Future Stronger and with Resilience

The Steinbeis+Akademie trains resilience coaches to act as company experts

Resilience – currently one of the most important aspects of coaching and therapy: Originally developed for prophylactic reasons to help individuals deal with domestic situations, it is now becoming increasingly clear that companies and other kinds of organizations – and their employees – stand to benefit from bolstering their resilience. The Steinbeis+Akademie is providing support in this area by offering certified training to become a resilience coach and mentor.

But what does resilience mean for individuals and companies? Is it just another fad? If you are “resilient,” you have an ability to deal with adversity without long-term detriment – and optimally come through a situation even stronger. And resilience is not a fixed characteristic, it can be strengthened.

A good starting point: individual resilience

Within companies, there are three levels of organizational resilience. The first is individual resilience. Many individuals have the potential to be resilient, a quality they can draw upon. But sometimes their ability to make use of this resource is stifled by a fear of loss, stress, or imbalances, and when something bad happens, accessing strengths is impeded or even rendered impossible. Using methods aimed at developing individual resilience helps strengthen people’s perception of their personal resources, releasing blockages and leading to a change in everyday life. One method that has proven highly effective in this respect is self-reflection.

Reflecting on the personal strengths that have helped you make it through a crisis in the past allows you to visualize existing potential. In addition to recognizing different ways to improve, co-workers increasingly notice where things are actually going fairly well already. Studies show that the right mindset when it comes to building resilience is a healthy dose of optimism. Fear and negative attitudes never get you anywhere.

Team resilience is good for the working atmosphere

There are also benefits when it comes to team resilience, ideally resulting in a wide range of resources thanks to team diversity. Training entire teams empowers people to arbitrate when conflicts arise, or work out solutions as a team and learn new things together by applying solutions to situations in everyday life. When we feel safe and appreciated, not only as a team member but also within our social environment, we find it easier to tap into our own creativity and agility. Appreciative and open communication based on a healthy culture of feedback strengthens teams from within and – on a subliminal level – prevents simmering conflict from taking hold. And in all honesty, who doesn’t want to work for a successful company based on a healthy working atmosphere?

Organizational resilience strengthens people’s ability to withstand adversity

In turn, organizational resilience benefits from the resilience of every individual within the organization; it is measured in terms of the resources required for a company and flexible structures. Effective crisis management and flexible responses to a crisis are part of a circular process that facilitates anticipation and thus better resilience. It is also helpful to use the “appreciative inquiry” method, which was developed by David Cooperrider and Diana Whitney, both experts in organization development. This method revolves around posing questions in such a way as to encourage people to focus steadfastly on positive things in the past, present, and future. Often, this involves developing a “purpose” or object for the company. This purpose gives employees and customers ways to identify with the company on an emotional level. Since most of our basic needs have already been met, many people find it important to find meaning in their work.

If you dig deeper into this area, it soon becomes obvious that organizational resilience needs a mandate from above. Senior executives and all other managers need not only to stand behind measures that help build resilience, but also to consider these measures in decision-making. Strength – fueled by close interaction and togetherness – then forms a backbone for the entire company, says resilience expert Professor Dr. Jutta Heller.

As many medium-sized companies now recognize, occupational health management is a good thing, but by itself it is not enough to strengthen a company from within. Introducing resilience specialists to the organization offers essential benefits:

  • Offering personal development options makes a company more attractive as an employer
  • Building psychological strength results in lower levels of sick leave
  • The work carried out by resilience experts fosters a positive working atmosphere
  • Employees identify more strongly with a company based on the communicated business purpose

As part of a 21-day course spread over 12 months, Steinbeis+Academy now offers training to become a certified resilience coach/mentor. Aside from imparting knowledge, training places emphasis on practical application: Theory is put into practice between modules, and participants are expected to develop a resilience concept for their companies by the end of the course. Resilience coaches learn which levers to pull in the future within the company to build crisis-proof resilience. The training culminates in a Diploma of Advanced Studies at the Steinbeis+Akademie.


CERTIFIED RESILIENCE COACH

Participants learn the fundamentals of coaching and apply these principles in individual or group coaching sessions.

  • You learn scientific training methods and are in a position to communicate these methods during training sessions.
  • You can develop and implement training concepts based on actual needs.
  • You learn the fundamentals of systemic work and apply these techniques during training sessions.
  • You develop tools to secure the long-term benefits of resilience training.
  • You know how to introduce the acquired methods within the company in order to strengthen individual employee resilience, team resilience, and organizational resilience.

For further information and registration, go to:
www.sti-kiu.com/resilienz-coach

Contact

Peter Schust (author)
Steinbeis-Unternehmer
Steinbeis Entrepreneur Steinbeis Transfer Institute kompetenz institut unisono (Ulm)
www.sti-kiu.com

Susanne Hollmann (author)
Coaching . Training . System . Entwicklung (Ulm)

215405-71