5 By Rosemund R. Warrington, HR and ODE Specialist, CARICAD This article builds upon Part I of the Building a Resilient 21st Century Public Sector series. While Part I focused on the nature of organisational resilience, Part II aims to increase understanding of how to shape an organisation’s strategic human resource management approach to achieve organisational resilience. T he definition of the term “Resilience” adopted in Part I of the series states that “Organisational Resilience involves the ability to adapt creatively and constructively to change so as to endure and recover from challenges in a manner that leaves the organisation more flexible and better able to adapt to future challenges.” (Denhardt & Denhardt, 2009). “Organisational Resilience involves the ability to adapt creatively and constructively to change so as to endure and recover from challenges in a manner that leaves the organisation more flexible and better able to adapt to future challenges.” - Denhardt & Denhardt, 2009 Part I made the case that Public Sector organisations are increasingly seeing the need to become more resilient in the face of adversity and committing themselves to becoming more agile, adaptable, flexible and responsive to the needs of citizens. Indeed, resilience implies more than just adaptation; and as this article will show, a sustained resolute effort is required to improve overall HR competence and systemic capabilities through transformation efforts. Part I established that the Resilient 21st Century Public Sector will be: (1) Technologically Innovative and data driven: freely accessible and shareable data, greater focus on IT as an enabler of service, and increased transparency, public participation and innovation; (2) Systemically transformative: institutional transformation relative to structures, leadership, partnerships, procedures and practices, mindset change, management of human and financial resources etc.; (3) Talent Management focused: attracting, selecting, nurturing, developing and retaining high potential; (4) Outcomes focused: focus on results and on achieving impact; and (5) Citizen-centric: delivery of services based on the needs of the people served and engaging citizens in policy and service design. Building a Resilient 21st Century public sector therefore is all about the right systems, right skills, right leadership, and a culture that is conducive to change. Strategic Human Resource Management has a critical role to play. Strategic HRM There are a number of assumptions underpinning a Strategic Approach to HRM including the following: • Continues on next page
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