What is ISO 22316:2017 Security and resilience — Organizational resilience — Principles and attributes?

ISO 22316:2017 Security and resilience provides guidance on organizational resilience, aimed at enhancing an organization’s ability to respond to, adapt, and recover from disruptive incidents. This standard is a part of the ISO 22300 family of standards, which focus on societal security and resilience. Unlike specific management system standards like ISO 9001 (Quality Management Systems) or ISO 27001 (Information Security Management Systems)

Key Components

• Principles: The standard outlines essential principles that are fundamental for an organization to establish and sustain its resilience. These principles may include aspects like leadership commitment, stakeholder involvement, and continuous improvement.
• Attributes: The standard also describes various attributes that contribute to organizational resilience. These attributes can be considered as characteristics or qualities that make an organization resilient. They might include aspects such as resource availability, adaptability, and the capacity for timely decision-making.
• Interactions: It stresses the interconnectedness of organizational components like governance, risk management, and operational functionality. A resilient organization is adept at aligning these aspects towards a common goal of resilience.
• Context: The standard advises organizations to understand their specific context deeply, considering internal and external factors that could affect their resilience.
• Framework: Although ISO 22316:2017 does not provide a prescriptive framework for building organizational resilience, it offers general guidelines that organizations can adapt to suit their particular needs.

Applications

Organizations across sectors—be it manufacturing, services, or government agencies—can apply the principles and attributes outlined in this standard.

Relation to Other Standards

This standard can complement existing management system standards like ISO 9001 for Quality Management or ISO 14001 for Environmental Management. For organizations already holding certifications in such domains, implementing the guidelines from ISO 22316:2017 could add a layer of resilience that is holistic, incorporating elements from all other management systems.

In summary, ISO 22316:2017 serves as a foundational document that offers guidelines to understand and improve organizational resilience. It emphasizes the significance of leadership, stakeholder involvement, understanding the context, and the interconnectedness of organizational components. By doing so, it aims to prepare organizations to face unexpected challenges and disruptions effectively and efficiently.

What are requirements for ISO 22316:2017?

ISO 22316:2017 Security and resilience is a guidance standard, not a certification standard. This means that it doesn’t have specific “requirements” that organizations must fulfill to achieve certification, unlike some other ISO standards such as ISO 9001 or ISO 27001. Instead, ISO 22316:2017 provides principles and attributes to help organizations enhance their resilience. Nevertheless, the standard does outline a number of areas where organizations should focus their attention in order to build and maintain resilience and certification of compliance can be issued by certification bodies such as Pacific Certifications.

Key Areas of Focus:

• Understanding the Organization: The standard emphasizes the importance of understanding both the internal and external context in which the organization operates. This includes identifying critical functions, processes, stakeholders, and potential risks.
• Leadership and Culture: Strong leadership and a supportive organizational culture are cited as vital for fostering resilience. This includes having a commitment from top management to prioritize resilience as an organizational objective.
• Governance: The standard discusses the need for clear governance structures that enable effective decision-making and accountability. This also involves setting objectives and performance criteria for resilience.
• Resource Allocation: Adequate resources, including human, technological, and financial assets, should be allocated to build and sustain resilience efforts.
• Stakeholder Involvement: Engaging with internal and external stakeholders, such as employees, suppliers, and customers, can provide valuable insights into vulnerabilities and opportunities for enhancing resilience.
• Information Management: Effective information management and communication are crucial for organizational resilience. This involves the timely sharing of information both within the organization and with external stakeholders

Also

• Continuous Improvement: The concept of resilience is dynamic and should be regularly reviewed and updated. The standard advises organizations to establish metrics and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) to measure resilience and to engage in continuous improvement activities.
• Risk Management: While ISO 22316:2017 is not a risk management standard per se, it suggests that understanding and managing risks is essential to resilience. Organizations are encouraged to use existing risk management processes or frameworks to identify, assess, and manage risks that could impact their resilience.
• Learning from Incidents: The standard promotes the concept of learning from both successful resilience actions and failures, to adapt and improve future strategies.

• Integration with Other Management Systems: The standard advises organizations to integrate their resilience-building activities with existing management systems, such as quality management, information security management, or environmental management systems, to achieve a cohesive approach to organizational resilience.

In summary, while ISO 22316:2017 does not have formal requirements for certification, it does offer a comprehensive set of principles and attributes designed to help organizations build, sustain, and improve their resilience. These guidelines can integrated with other existing management systems or function as a stand-alone reference for enhancing organizational resilience.

What are the benefits of ISO 22316:2017 Security and resilience?

The adoption of ISO 22316:2017 can bring numerous benefits to organizations, enhancing their ability to withstand, adapt to, and recover from disruptions. While the standard does not offer certification, its guidelines serve as a valuable framework for resilience. Here are some of the key benefits:

Strategic Advantage:

• Competitive Edge: Demonstrating a commitment to resilience can set an organization apart from its competitors. This can be especially advantageous in industries where the capacity to respond to disruptions is seen as a valuable asset.
• Stakeholder Confidence: Stakeholders, including investors, customers, and partners, are increasingly concerned about organizational resilience. Adoption of the ISO 22316:2017 framework can serve as an assurance to stakeholders that the organization is committed to maintaining robust operational capabilities.

Operational Benefits:

• Streamlined Decision-making: The standard places a strong emphasis on governance and clear decision-making processes. This can expedite organizational response to disruptions, mitigating potential damages.
• Resource Optimization: By identifying critical functions and vulnerabilities, organizations can allocate resources more effectively, ensuring that key areas are resilient and well-supported.
• Enhanced Communication: Improved information management and communication protocols can facilitate better internal and external communication, a critical factor during crisis management.

Risk Management:

• Improved Risk Assessment: ISO 22316:2017 complements existing risk management frameworks by adding an extra layer of resilience thinking. This can help organizations anticipate a broader range of disruptions and prepare more comprehensive response strategies.
• Business Continuity: The standard supports business continuity planning, helping to ensure that key functions can continue to operate during a crisis or recover more quickly afterward.

Cultural and Leadership:

• Leadership Alignment: Top management is encouraged to take an active role in resilience planning, ensuring that organizational strategies are aligned to manage both current and future disruptions.
• Cultural Shift: Implementing the principles and attributes of resilience can foster a culture of continuous improvement and adaptability, key attributes for long-term sustainability.

Compliance and Integration:

• Harmonized Approach: Organizations that are already compliant with other ISO standards, such as ISO 9001 or ISO 27001, will find it easier to integrate ISO 22316:2017 into their existing management systems, creating a more harmonized approach to governance and risk management.
• Regulatory Compliance: While ISO 22316:2017 itself is not a certification standard, its guidelines can help organizations meet other regulatory requirements related to crisis management and operational resilience.
• Global Recognition: As an ISO standard, ISO 22316:2017 has international recognition, making it beneficial for organizations operating in multiple countries or looking to expand internationally.

In summary, ISO 22316:2017 offers organizations a structured approach to improving their resilience, with wide-ranging benefits that encompass strategic, operational, and risk management aspects. Through its adoption, organizations not only safeguard their current operations but also prepare themselves better for future challenges and opportunities.

Who needs ISO 22316:2017 Security and resilience?

ISO 22316:2017 is a versatile standard that applies to a broad spectrum of organizations, irrespective of size, sector, or geographical location. Its guidance on building organizational resilience is universally relevant. Below are some specific categories of organizations and scenarios where ISO 22316:2017 may be particularly useful:

Businesses Across Sectors:

• Manufacturing Companies: Industries that rely heavily on supply chains can benefit from the standard to enhance resilience against disruptions like component shortages or logistical challenges.
• Service Providers: Companies in the service sector, such as IT, healthcare, and financial services, can use the standard to improve their ability to deliver uninterrupted service amidst various types of disruptions.
• Retail and E-commerce: These businesses can utilize the guidelines to build resilience against challenges like demand fluctuations, supply chain interruptions, and cyber threats.

Public Sector and NGOs:

• Government Agencies: Public sector organizations can use ISO 22316:2017 to build resilience against a variety of risks including natural disasters, cyber-attacks, and other societal disruptions.
• Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs): NGOs operating in volatile or challenging environments can use the standard to enhance their capability to deliver services in the face of disruptions.

Critical Infrastructure:

6. Utilities and Energy Companies: Organizations that manage critical infrastructure such as electricity, water, and gas can apply the principles to ensure continuity and reliability.
7. Transportation Providers: Airlines, rail companies, and other key transport providers can benefit from increased resilience against disruptions like equipment failure, labor strikes, or natural disasters.

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs):

• SMEs: Small and medium-sized businesses, which may not have extensive resources to devote to resilience planning, can benefit from the standard’s scalable guidance.

Organizations with Complex Supply Chains:

• Global Businesses: Companies that operate in multiple countries or have complex, international supply chains can use ISO 22316:2017 to create a unified resilience strategy.

Organizations Subject to Regulations:

• Regulated Industries: Businesses in sectors like healthcare, finance, and pharmaceuticals, where operational disruptions can have significant regulatory consequences, can use the standard to bolster their compliance strategies.

Companies Seeking to Integrate with Other Standards:

• ISO-Certified Organizations: If an organization is already certified in other ISO standards like ISO 9001 (Quality Management) or ISO 27001 (Information Security Management), integrating the guidelines from ISO 22316:2017 can add a resilience layer that is holistic.

In summary, ISO 22316:2017 is to be adaptable and relevant for a wide range of organizations. Whether you are a small business owner looking to safeguard your operations, a multinational corporation interested in harmonizing resilience measures across subsidiaries, or a public sector agency mandated to provide uninterrupted services, the principles and attributes outlined in this standard offer valuable guidance for enhancing organizational resilience.

At last, Pacific Certifications is accredited by ABIS, you need more support with ISO 22316:2017 Security and resilience, please contact us at +91-8595603096 or support@pacificcert.com

Also read: ISO 22301:2019 – Security and Resilience in the United States