Over the last several years, the term resilience has entered the aviation industry’s lexicon in a dominant way. Resilience has been introduced as a topic in crew resource management training, and safety management efforts increasingly are oriented toward ensuring resilience in the face of disruptions. But defining the term is easier than putting the concept into operation.
According to Capt. Pierre Wannaz, senior adviser at CEFA Aviation, the term resilience originates from the physical property of material absorbing energy when the material is deformed elastically. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary says resilience is the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation causes especially by compressive stress.
“The term has been used in psychology, in business, and in many other fields,” Wannaz says. “In essence, resilience is defined as the ability to successfully adapt and respond positively to difficulties or other adve…
