We live in a world of constant change and increasing complexity. Climate change, technological development, social shifts and economic fluctuations challenge our societies, businesses and everyday lives. In this reality, resilience is not just the ability to withstand and recover from a crisis, it is also a driver for creativity and innovation.
What is resilience?
Resilience is about the ability of a system – whether it is an ecosystem, an organisation or a society – to handle change and disruption without losing its function, and to adapt or transform itself when necessary. It is not about being rigid, but about being flexible and prepared, while building in the capacity to learn, adapt and innovate.
Resilience is therefore not just something we need in a crisis, it is an active strategy for shaping the future. By understanding what creates resilience, we can also shape sustainable solutions that not only work today, but also tomorrow.
Resilience as a driver for innovation
Innovation is often born in resistance. When we are faced with disruptions and constraints, we are forced to think differently and this is where resilience shows its creative power.
Consider how societies adapted during the pandemic: remote working, digital learning, local supply chains and new social forms grew out of the need to manage disruptions. Or take the example of urban gardening, a creative solution that grew out of the challenge of food supply in dense urban environments. Solar energy and decentralized energy systems are also innovations driven by the need to increase resilience to disruptions in electricity supply.
Innovation in response to resilience challenges is often more inclusive, locally adapted and sustainable in the long term, because it must work even when conditions change.
The seven principles of resilience – and what they mean for innovation
To understand how we can build resilience and thereby be open to new solutions, there are seven fundamental principles (stockholmresilience.org). They are based on research on how natural resources are managed sustainably around the world, and can be applied in everything from urban planning to business development.
1. Spread risks – create and allow diversity
Diversity, both biological and social, reduces vulnerability. In a system with variation in function and perspective, there is a greater chance that some part will cope with the change and be able to carry on. Overlap and redundancy, e.g. multiple heating systems in a house, make us better equipped in the event of disruptions. In innovation, diversity provides more ideas, perspectives and solutions.
2. Dense or sparse – what is best depends on
The system’s connections determine how quickly both problems and solutions spread. Too much density in a system can spread infection or errors quickly, while too little density often means that we miss out on information and help. Innovation processes need to find the right balance, the sufficient contact for collaboration, but also robustness against disruptions.
3. Detect slow changes – sudden effect
We tend to overlook gradual changes until they become acute. Like slowly deteriorating soils or increasing plastic pollution. By listening to weak signals and feedback earlier in the process, we can act before the crisis. Innovation therefore needs to happen in step with the development of the outside world, and sometimes before.
4. Experiment to understand complex connections – expecting the unexpected
Systems are complex and affected by unexpected factors. Instead of trying to control everything, we need to build resilience through experimentation, adaptability and learning. Pop-up parks, car-free days or temporary digital services are examples of innovations that provide space to test, adjust and grow organically.
5. Encourage innovation & lifelong learning
Innovation is not a single event but a continuous process. Organizations that promote learning, reflection and interdisciplinary collaboration have a greater chance of developing solutions that work in different futures. Hackathons, prototype tests and sharing failures are important tools for strengthening innovation capacity.
6. Broaden participation – include everyone affected
By including different groups, especially in the early stages, we get better anchoring, more perspectives and higher accuracy in the solutions. User-driven innovation is based on this, and it is also central to resilience. It is not only about justice, but also about wisdom: more people see more.
7. Delegate the decisions – flexibility to act
Resilience requires that decisions can be made quickly where the knowledge is, but also that there is collaboration between levels. Organizations that allow responsibility and mandate to be close to the problem, but at the same time support coordination, are better placed to handle complex challenges. Such as when local associations, municipalities and the state cooperate to protect natural environments and at the same time create innovation.
Resilience and self-organized systems – two sides of the same coin?
There are clear connections between resilience and self-organized systems, but also important differences. Self-organization is about how order and structure arise without central control, through interactions between the parts of a system. Flocks of birds flying in formation, ant colonies, market dynamics, or open source projects are classic examples.
Similarities:
- Decentralization: Both concepts are based on the fact that solutions are often found closer to the problem and not always at the top of the hierarchy.
- Adaptability: Self-organized systems have a built-in flexibility that makes them good at responding to change, just like resilient systems.
- Diversity and redundancy: Several different actors/solutions in parallel make the system both more robust and more innovative.
- Learning: Self-organized systems change through local experiences and feedback, just like resilient systems do.
Differences:
- Resilience is a goal – self-organization is a process.
Resilience focuses on the result: that the system functions even under stress. Self-organization describes how this happens, through local dynamics rather than central control. - Resilience sometimes requires governance.
For a system to become resilient, structures that support self-organization may be needed such as policies, rules or resources that create the right conditions. - Self-organization can be destructive.
A system that self-organizes without feedback or diversity can get stuck in negative patterns. Resilience means that there are mechanisms to avoid such dead ends.
When self-organization occurs in an environment that supports learning, variation and feedback, it can become a powerful engine for resilience and innovation. That’s when we see the best of both worlds: solutions that grow organically, but are still stable and sustainable
Method for working with the 7 resilience principles for future vision
Discuss the following questions in a group:
1. SPREAD RISKS
- How can we design for diversity, not just resilience?
- What happens if part of the system fails? Do we have alternatives?
- Is there overlap in functions, perspectives or resources?
- Are our solutions different enough to meet different futures?
2. Dense or Sparse
- Which connections should we create, preserve or let go of?
- Are we too connected, or too isolated?
- How do our networks affect our ability to handle disruptions?
- What information or relationship are we missing today?
3. SLOW CHANGE
- What gradual changes are we blind to?
- What is changing without us noticing?
- Which “ketchup bottle” are we shaking right now without transparency?
- How can we create better feedback on our actions?
4. COMPLEX CONNECTIONS
- What happens if we let go of the need for control?
- How do we build systems that can withstand the unexpected?
- Where can we allow “safe experiments” and failures?
- How can minor disruptions prevent major crises?
5. INNOVATION & LEARNING
- How do we train our creative ability over time?
- How do we make sure to learn, not just act?
- When was the last time we tried something completely new?
- What do we learn from our mistakes, and how do we capture that learning?
6. BROADEN PARTICIPATION
- Who is missing from the room, and why?
- Who is affected by our decisions but is not allowed to participate?
- What hidden knowledge can give us new solutions?
- How do we build shared understanding and trust?
7. DECISIONS AT THE RIGHT LEVEL
- Where is the knowledge and where are the decisions made?
- How can we increase flexibility through local adaptation?
- What opportunities open up if more people are allowed to make their own decisions?
- What can we decentralize without losing direction?
Resilience means solutions for a future we cannot yet foresee. It is not just a survival strategy, it is a source of profound, sustainable and human innovation.
