New Accenture Report Released Today – The Power of Resilience

By Tina Vasquez (Los Angeles)

Anyone’s who’s ever had to struggle or overcome extreme hardships knows the power of being resilient; the importance of being able to bounce back and keep trudging onwards. According to a new study by Accenture, resilience – or the ability to overcome challenges and turn them into opportunities – also happens to be a much-needed characteristic in the business world; one that is key to keeping your job in a harsh economy.

The global research study entitled Women Leaders and Resilience: Perspectives from the C-Suite was conducted in support of International Women’s Day and the study marks Accenture’s sixth consecutive celebration of this global celebration, which honors the economic, political, and social achievements of women past. It is the company’s hope that their female-focused research helps fuel the dialogue on key issues affecting women in the workplace.

The Findings

Accenture surveyed more than 500 senior executives – including CEO’s, COO’s, CFO’s, and CHRO’s – of mid- to large-size companies in 20 countries across Europe, Asia, North America, and Latin America. According to the research, these execs believe that women are slightly more resilient than men. Results showed that companies are providing female professionals with a variety of programs aimed at developing resilience.

One might think that during an economic downturn, women’s programs would be the first to go – thankfully, this has not been the case. Accenture actually found that many corporate professional development programs specific to women have remained intact. Forty-eight percent of all respondents reported making no changes in the past year to leadership programs for women. Just three percent of executives surveyed reported eliminating leadership programs, mentoring activities, or minority leadership programs. Even more surprising, in the middle of a recession, 18 percent reported making moderate to extensive increases to leadership programs and 22 percent said they had augmented their mentoring programs, while 17 percent said minority leadership programs at their companies had been enhanced.

Adaptability, Flexibility, and Strength of Purpose

Of the 500 corporate leaders surveyed, a whopping 71 percent cited resilience as “very to extremely important” when determining who to retain. Though the respondents were almost evenly divided on the topic of who is most resilient (with slightly more respondents favoring women), a shocking 60 percent revealed that their companies are actively providing women with career enhancing assignments and 40 percent report preparing women for senior management roles.

Adrian Lajtha, Chief Leadership Officer at Accenture, believes that women who are resilient will be more successful in the workplace and give their companies a major advantage. “Resilience – the combination of adaptability, flexibility and strength of purpose – may be the new criterion for professional advancement,” Lajtha said. “In the current world of economic uncertainty and intense competitiveness, organizations that instill resilience in their up-and-coming leadership will have a clear advantage.”

Self-Confidence and Seniority

Self-confidence is believed to be a key characteristic of the resilient; after all, if you don’t believe in yourself, how can you persevere? Without it, a failure is just a failure and not an opportunity to learn and grow. In this respect, Accenture’s regional findings are also quite interesting. The company found that 44 percent of North American executives surveyed believe that Baby Boomers have the most self-confidence; meaning, those in more senior roles are most resilient. Their Latin American, European, and Asian counterparts; however, believe that younger women in the workforce – those of Generation X – are more self-confident and more resilient.

Nellie Borrero, Accenture’s impassioned Global Human Capital and Diversity Lead, believes that women in the workforce – no matter what generation they may be from – must learn how to bounce back and prove to their company that they’re worth keeping around during tough economic times. “Women need to realize that if they’re not showcasing resilience, their bosses may begin to question whether or not they bring value to the company. They must be able to turn difficult situations into opportunities; they need to figure out how they bring value to the company and then build upon that and market it.”

It was also found that respondents associate resilience and adaptability most frequently with seniority; they said senior managers are most resilient, followed by middle managers and, lastly, by employees below manager.

Can it be Taught?

The question remains: Can resilience be taught? Is it a characteristic that can be learned? Those surveyed believed that it can be, which is why many companies are now focusing on developing programs that teach women how to be resilient. Following what can only be described as a catastrophic 2009, Borrero believes 2010 is a crucial time for women to prove themselves.

“Women have to begin looking at all of these challenges they face and start turning them into opportunities. Not only does it showcase their ability to get through difficult times, but it will also prove to be key in helping younger women identify the critical behavior that is resilience,” Borrero said. “If you feel insecure and are lacking self-confidence, identify mentors that can help because young women are looking up to you and it’s important to teach them how to be resilient; set the example.”