Resilient SMEs: hannoverimpuls helps companies with crisis prevention with a new program

Hanover, November 23, 2021

Preventing crises completely is impossible, even with planning and caution. But it is precisely when companies are doing well that they can build up resilienceso that they can react better if the worst comes to the worst. Building on strengths and identifying weaknesses is crisis prevention before an emergency occurs. During the coronavirus pandemic, for example, the team athannoverimpulsassisted companies in the region with around 6,000 different issues and helped them get through the crisis. "The experiences of coronavirus and the financial crisis of 2008/2009 show that many companies have some catching up to do when it comes to resilience and run the risk of quickly getting into difficulties. We want to address this with our newResilient SMEsprogram. Like a fitness trainer, we offer companies step-by-step support to help them position themselves for the future in an agile and crisis-proof manner," says DorisPetersen, Managing Director of hannoverimpuls, describing the new concept.

An organization is resilient if it is able to react as flexibly as possible to disruptions. This means that it is able to eliminate the problem without losing essential functions and structures. For example, what good is it if a company survives a severe economic downturn without making structural changes, but then has to lay off half of its staff? resilient companies, on the other hand, are highly adaptable and capable of learning. This is essential in a world characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Resilience is therefore not a protective shield, but a form of activity. It is the ability to ward off actual or potentially adverse events, to prepare for them, to take them into account, to cope with them, to recover from them and to adapt to them ever more successfully.

To make the regional economy fit for the future,Hannoverimpuls offersatwo-step programcalled Resilient SMEs: In the first step, the business development agency offers companies a free resilience checklist via the websitewww.wirtschaftsfoerderung-hannover.de/Resiliente-KMUeineto analyze for themselves how well the company is positioned in which areas and where there may be weaknesses that need to be addressed. This is because in too many companies, early detection and risk management have so far only been practiced as an alibi function and not put into practice. Many companies often only deal with their problems when it is already "five to twelve".

If a need for action is identified, the request can be sent automatically to the business development agency and a meeting and individual needs analysis with the professionals from hannoverimpuls can be requested. The range of fields of action is broad: it starts with the right mindset in the team and in the management structure, continues with optimization in resource and receivables management and in supply chains and extends to cyber security.

In the second step, tailor-madesolutionsare jointlydevelopedfor the company. Depending on the individual need for optimization, the hannoverimpuls consulting team also cooperates with external experts. "The new programme is highly customizable. Every company is different and needs additional 'fitness' in very different areas," says Doris Petersen, explaining the concept, which will be launched this year.

If external experts are brought in for the initiated consulting process to increase resilience in potential crisis situations, their work is financially supported by the program. For each company, 80 percent of the costs for up to four consulting days are covered. The company bears the remaining 20 percent as its own contribution. The economic development agency has initially budgeted a total of 100,000 euros for this."It is not the strongest species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the most adaptable. "Charles Darwin recognized this as early as 1858. With Resiliente KMU, Hannover's business development agency wants to ensure that as many of the region's companies as possible will be among them in the future.