Is Your Greatest BCM Risk Your BCM Team?

Over the years, we have talked about all kinds of risk in our programs. Compliance risk, residual risk, third party risk, and more all need to be considered. However, one BCM risk that we haven’t discussed is closest to us: our own BCM team.

You may ask: how can our own team be a significant risk? Well, don’t forget that you are only as strong as your weakest link.

In many cases, you may find that you have more than one weak link. Often, the reason for a low state of organizational BCM compliance and high residual risk has as much as to do with the BCM team as it does as with the organization’s processes, methodology, budget, and management commitment.

The majority of BCM managers do not analyze the skill set of their team on a detailed level, nor do they align it with their strategic roadmap (if they have one).

Each member of your team plays an important role, and it is essential that they have the skill set necessary to perform that role and to support one another.

To use a sports analogy, the importance of determining your bench depth is crucial to the success of your program. Identify the skills that your team needs to produce results. Many BCM offices hire based on immediate need rather than considering their strategic goals, or how the new hire will fit in with the team and contribute to its long-term success.

There is a reason professional sports teams spend so much time analyzing their players and knowing where they fit in during certain situations. The ability to quantify the level of skill of each player and how that fits in with immediate and future needs is critical to the success of the team.

In order to ensure that your BCM team is not your greatest BCM risk, you should regularly evaluate the skill set of each member of your team.

At MHA, we have a clear picture of the skill set of each consultant; we understand where each will fit during engagements. Is the consultant a multi-dimensional team player or a better fit for a specific role? Is the consultant comfortable in front of customers or better suited for a support role?

Take the step to eliminate the BCM risk that’s right in front of you. Analyze your people to build a high-performing team today.