In March 2020 the world was shocked with the emergence and rapid spread of the covid pandemic; in January 2025 we were hit again with the rapid dismantling of the US international development program and its ramifications. External challenges will likely continue to come. We are going to need to continue to be flexible and agile – reacting to external disruptions that may come quickly but being prepared to use them as opportunities to move in new directions.
What have we learned? How have we changed? What can we continue to prioritize?
The organizations that have responded the best to external disruptions are those that had already put in place a way to navigate change, having a mindset and processes to adapt and pivot in new directions. Organizations work best and can change when there is trust and collaboration as an organizational value. Even if you work mostly virtually, know how you can cultivate this among your internal team and external partners.
Here are some examples of what resilient organizations have learned and practiced:
- The importance of community and partners – Charles Kojo Vandyck of the West African Civil Society Institute shares “The Institute now uses a mix of online and in-person training and follow-up engagement to reach more partners and continue its work even in difficult times. WACSI also supports civil society groups to strengthen their financial independence through local fundraising and alternative resource mobilisation.
- Recognizing that there are cycles and that some phases can be ‘messy’ – progress, followed by more challenges and a need for adjustments or new directions. Amanda Griffith of Family for Every Child shares that you often have to adjust to cycles, especially when something happens that is out of your control, using a sailing analogy: “Setting a course when sailing is fine literally if it is plain sailing but that is rarely the case. The winds, tides, sea state, state of the boat and the capabilities and size of the crew all come into play. This can mean you make great progress and arrive at the port as planned, usually it means you have to change course regularly, stop off for new supplies, compensate for sick crew and slow down to fix things that have broken on the boat and may end up in a different port altogether.”
- Commitment to reflection, care, and building something new – Shares Mendy Marsh of VOICE: “Over the past five years, we’ve had to continuously adapt to overlapping global crises—climate disasters, pandemics, backlash against gender rights, and shrinking civic space. It hasn’t always been easy. We’ve made mistakes, and we’re still learning how to be the best we can be in a world that often runs counter to our values. But what’s been consistent is our commitment to reflection, care, and iteration. While we’ve worked to change oppressive systems from within—surviving them—we’re now focused on building something new. So that we, and our partners, can finally leave survival behind and move toward thriving in systems we co-create and actually want to belong to.”
Some additional learning over the past 5 years:
Adaptable Organizations, February 2025; https://www.goinginternational.com/2025/02/24/adaptable-organizations/
Into Unchartered Territory, January 2021 https://www.goinginternational.com/2021/01/27/into-unchartered-territory/
Learning and Adapting through Disruptive Times, August 2020 https://www.goinginternational.com/2020/08/18/learning-and-adapting-through-disruptive-times/
