posted 19th November 2025
The new government Organisational Resilience Guidance has landed, and I’ve already heard a few comments along the lines of: “This feels a bit abstract… where’s the practical detail?”
It’s a fair reaction. The document is intentionally high-level and doesn’t try to prescribe templates, structures or operational processes. But there is real value in it — just not always in the places people expect.
Here’s what it does:
It firmly positions resilience as a strategic leadership responsibility.
Not an operational afterthought or a set of business continuity plans in a drawer. This reinforces conversations many of us are already having with senior leaders.
It emphasises integration across risk, business continuity, security, crisis response and recovery.
That alignment is hugely important for public bodies reviewing or redesigning their resilience arrangements — especially during periods of organisational change.
It links to recognised national and international standards.
For organisations working toward ISO-aligned maturity, this provides a helpful reference point and a common language.
It sets direction rather than prescribing solutions.
And while some may wish for more operational detail, the flexibility allows different organisations to interpret and apply the principles in a way that fits their own context.
In short: the value of the guidance isn’t in telling practitioners “how” to deliver resilience — it’s in setting out what good looks like at the organisational level, and giving leaders a framework to build around.
For those of us supporting wider public sector partners, it provides a useful touchstone for strategic discussions, governance design and future-proofing resilience functions. If your organisation needs help staying on the right side of this, get in touch.
