2006 Controllers Institute and others: Continuity Strategy

This research assignment of the MDW Foundation concerned ‘Continuity Management’ from the perspective of Human Resource Management, which at that time was one of the most future-oriented topics in organisations. Forty-one different organisations took part in this research, from profit to non-profit etc.

This was a deliberate choice. If after the research and a reliability analysis it would appear that there was significant coherence between RP-Indices of all participants, this would indicate that the results reflected the good and bad parts of Continuity Strategy of organisations in the Netherlands (in 2006).

The probability of high correlation between ad random 41 types of heterogeneous organizations by coincidence is theoretically negligible (see also page 101). However, there was even a high correlation here which proved that a ‘perfect’ decision design had been made and the results were reliable ‘as trends’.

Three Objectives were chosen. One concerned Continuity Management itself and the other two Objectives were seen as ‘Environment Objectives’. A total of 20 Drivers were scored (see next page).

The conclusion is clear. In 2006, decision-makers still gave their organisation and staffing a ‘satisfactory’ grade, but they needed better key factors to keep their continuity management up to standard. Later on, it would turn out that, due to international developments such as the credit crisis of 2007-2009 and the economic crisis (from 2008 onwards), it could only be coped with if both crucial Objectives were on level, so effective.

Still, a Continuity Management ‘Scan’ is an instrument that organisations should use almost annually to be able to continue to monitor continuity in the achievement of any Strategic Goal.