The multi-purpose
BCM manager
As the remit of the 
BCM professional 
expands under the 
term ‘resilience’,  
Rick Cudworth and 
Chris Apps explore the 
expanded skills base 
which is required to 
fulfil the role
I
ncreasingly, organisations are using the business more resilient (and potentially more efficient on a day-to-day basis).
term ‘resilience’ to embrace business If resilience is the goal, then business continuity professionals must be able to:
continuity. It is a term commonly echoed • engage more effectively with a broader range of stakeholders
in the boardroom and by regulators and • influence strategic decision making
governments, with the phrase “we need to • understand a broader range of risks and risk appetites
be more resilient” often quoted. The Cabinet • analyse business activities and their dependencies and help determine business priorities
Office’s Civil Contingencies Secretariat • have a much stronger grasp of technology
has defined the term resilience as “the • manage project or programme delivery more effectively
ability to absorb, respond to and recover To understand if business continuity is attracting the right talent, it is important to
from disruptive challenges”. This implies understand the skills required to achieve the ‘must do’s’ listed above.
a combination of capabilities which need Communicating and influencing: Perhaps foremost is excellent communication and
to be embedded within an organisation; influencing skills. This is vital to building effective relationships with the business and
resilience becomes inherently part of the is especially critical for influencing key stakeholders and establishing a role as trusted
organisation, not something bolted on to it. business partners and facilitators. Resilience should be a fundamental consideration when
In this broader context, being more resilient business decisions are being made. Senior business continuity practitioners rightly see
also implies that there will be benefits to stakeholder management and communication as the most important skills now required of
day to day operations. them.
The question, however, that this raises is Broader technical knowledge: Whilst soft skills in communication and influencing are
whether business continuity as a discipline vital to long-term career success, these must be backed up by technical or subject matter
is doing enough to attract the right talent knowledge. The knowledge and experience required of a business continuity practitioner
and skills to address this broader agenda? is exceptionally broad and ranges from understanding IT infrastructure and how to plan an
IT DR test, to the development of training and the exercising of people in their roles and
Meeting the skills criteria responsibilities. A deeper understanding of risk, corporate governance, technology and
A diverse range of skills are required to how critical business activities operate is fundamental, alongside such areas as corporate
define and maintain a resilient organisation. security, information security, legal and compliance, HR and PR.
Resilience needs to address people, process
and technology. Even when considering
The question that this raises is whether business
technology, it is not just about whether the
continuity as a discipline is doing enough to attract the
technology itself is resilient, but also about
how you can use technology to make the
right talent and skills to address this broader agenda?
  Continuity  November/December 2009
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