ISO 22316:2017

Overview

ISO 22316:2017 - Security and resilience - Organizational resilience - Principles and attributes - provides guidance to enhance organizational resilience for any size or type of organization. It is sector‑agnostic and applicable throughout an organization’s life. The standard establishes core principles and describes the attributes and activities that support resilience, without prescribing a single uniform approach. ISO 22316:2017 emphasizes alignment between strategy, leadership, culture, and risk‑informed decision making to help organizations absorb, adapt and respond to change.

Key topics and requirements

ISO 22316:2017 focuses on principles and attributes rather than prescriptive controls. Core elements include:

• Foundational principles

  • Align behaviour with a shared vision and purpose
  • Maintain an up‑to‑date understanding of organizational context
  • Ability to absorb, adapt and respond to change
  • Good governance and coordinated management
  • Diversity of skills, leadership, knowledge and experience
  • Coordination across management disciplines and technical expertise
  • Effective risk management

• Attributes for organizational resilience

  • Shared vision and clarity of purpose: communicate vision, align objectives, review strategy
  • Understanding and influencing context: monitor internal/external environment and interdependencies
  • Effective and empowered leadership: develop adaptive leaders, assign roles, share lessons learned
  • Culture supportive of resilience: define values, encourage innovation, empower reporting of threats/opportunities
  • Shared information and knowledge: value learning and information sharing
  • Availability of resources; development and coordination of management disciplines; continual improvement; ability to anticipate and manage change

• Evaluation and improvement

  • Assess organizational requirements and gaps
  • Monitor, review and report on resilience factors using appropriate methods
  • Annex A outlines relevant management disciplines that contribute to resilience

Practical applications

ISO 22316:2017 is a guidance tool for organizations seeking to strengthen their ability to withstand disruptions and change. Typical uses:

• Designing or improving enterprise resilience strategies and governance
• Integrating resilience thinking into strategic planning, risk management and business continuity
• Developing leadership programs and cultural change initiatives that support resilience
• Establishing monitoring, assessment and reporting processes for resilience performance

Who should use it

• Senior leaders and executives responsible for strategy and governance
• Risk, business continuity, and security managers
• Organizational development and HR professionals (culture and leadership)
• Consultants and advisors working on resilience, continuity and crisis management

Related standards

• ISO 22300 (Societal security - Terminology) is referenced for terms and definitions used in ISO 22316:2017.

Keywords: ISO 22316:2017, organizational resilience, security and resilience, resilience attributes, resilience principles, risk management, leadership, organizational culture.