ASIS International Forms Committee For Developing Organizational Resilience Maturity Model

A draft concept of the ASIS OR maturity model was successful tested by ASIS in preparation for the 2010 World Cup

ASIS International has announced its intent to initiate development of a new American National Standard Organizational Resilience Maturity Model-Phased Implementation, based on the ANSI/ASIS Organizational Resilience: Security, Preparedness, and Continuity Management Systems -Requirements with Guidance for Use Standard. ASIS is the pre-eminent organization for security management professionals worldwide.

The new standard will enable organizations to implement the Organizational Resilience (OR) Standard using a phased implementation approach. A maturity model will help companies evaluate where they currently are with regard to resilience management and preparedness, set goals for where they want to go, benchmark where they are relative to those goals, and plot a business-sensible path forward. Furthermore, the standard will provide a basis for establishing defined levels for recognition programmes for the achievement and maintenance of resilience criteria. This will empower small and medium size enterprises, as well as larger organizations, to tailor their implementation of the Organizational Resilience (OR) Standard to achieve, maintain, and demonstrate implementation objectives.

"Implementation of the OR Standard can be a daunting task," says Dr. Marc Siegel, Chair of the Organizational Resilience Maturity Model Standard Committee and Commissioner of the ASIS Global Standards Initiative. "The phased approach recognises that resilience must be achieved in balance with the business needs of an organization, including its time and financial constraints. This is best accomplished by building a system that is continually improving, growing, and maturing."

A draft concept of the ASIS OR maturity model was successful tested by ASIS and the Tsogo Sun Group, the largest hotel chain in Africa, in preparation for the 2010 World Cup. Siegel noted that "by linking the maturity model to a recognition programme with a team of trained auditors, Tsogo Sun Group was able to set achievable goals for their wide array of property sizes and types, thereby enhancing security and continuity in a cost-effective fashion." 

Next steps include the formation of the committee that will begin the process of developing the American National Standard.

Risk, resilience, and security professionals interested in participating on the committee should email here on or before September 15, 2010.