Managers build resilient teams by creating psychological safety, encouraging adaptability, and removing obstacles to performance. Evidence from organisational psychology shows that resilience grows when leaders balance challenge with support, foster open communication, and integrate wellbeing practices, enabling teams to thrive through uncertainty and constant change.
Change is inevitable, not an occasional disruption, it is the permanent backdrop of modern work. It could be done a lot better though. In aviation, in technology, in every sector, leaders face turbulence daily. That si not the issue, humans are adaptable and brilliant, except when it is not supported. The question is not if disruption will come, but how prepared your team will be when it does.
Will you be clearing the way for their success or getting in the way?
Drawing on lessons from aviation, self-defence, organizational psychology, and philosophy, this piece explores how managers can deliberately build resilient teams that don’t just survive uncertainty but perform at their best because of it.
How good does that sound?
Psychology tells us that resilience is not a fixed trait. Albert Bandura’s work on self-efficacy shows that people grow more resilient when they experience mastery, vicarious learning, and encouragement. In self-defence and military training, this looks like disguised repetition, scenario practice, and building confidence in skills people didn’t think they had.
In business, it means giving people early wins, reinforcing transferable skills, and reminding them that they already bring value to the table.
Amy Edmondson’s research proves that teams thrive when people feel safe to speak up without fear of punishment. In aviation, Crew Resource Management taught us that silent cockpits cause disasters, while open communication prevents them.
Managers can replicate this by:
According to Deci & Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory, motivation is strongest when autonomy, competence, and relatedness are present. Managers often try to push harder with targets and incentives, but real performance comes from removing the obstacles that prevent people from doing their best work.
This means:
Darwin didn’t say the strongest survive, he said the most adaptable do. In business, adaptability means:
As Shane Parrish notes in Clear Thinking, adaptability is the compound interest of good decision-making. Seperate problems from solutions to properly define them, not just make the solution fit. Avoid binary alternatives where one offer is poor and what is left is preferred. Be prepared to rescind a decision if necessary as new information comes in, like if it is working or not.
Aristotle argued for balance across mind, body, and spirit. Modern wellbeing research confirms that ignoring one dimension destabilises the rest. Teams thrive when managers:
This isn’t “soft.” It’s strategic. Burnt-out, disengaged people cannot innovate, create or succeed.
Too many managers see their job as “cracking the whip.” You are wrong! The better model, supported by organizational psychology and effective leadership practice, is to remove friction so others can do meaningful work. Robert Townsend in Up the Organization explains the essence of good management in a book that has been largely ignored.
Great managers:
This should all sound familiar, not much is new in this world we live in, but are you doing it consistently?
Does your team agree?
What needs to change for this to make sense to you and your team?
Resilient teams are not built by chance, they are engineered through psychological safety, adaptability, and holistic support. The strongest managers today are those who learn from aviation, psychology, and philosophy: they balance challenge with care, invite honest voices, and remove the barriers to human potential.
If managers can get this right, their teams won’t just weather disruption, they will fly through it.
Want to learn how to build resilience into your team culture? Explore our EASE Framework™ or book a strategy session to apply these principles in your business.
A resilient team is one that can adapt to challenges while maintaining performance and wellbeing. Research shows resilience grows when teams have psychological safety, clear communication, and supportive leadership. Managers play a key role by removing obstacles, balancing workloads, and creating environments where people can learn from setbacks without fear of blame.
Managers can improve resilience by focusing on fundamentals: building psychological safety, reinforcing core skills, and encouraging adaptability. This means running debriefs without blame, clarifying priorities, and ensuring systems and tools work effectively. Supporting wellbeing across mind, body, and spirit also ensures employees have the energy and purpose needed to thrive in uncertain conditions.
Psychological safety allows people to voice concerns, admit mistakes, and challenge ideas without fear of negative consequences. Amy Edmondson’s research shows teams with psychological safety are more innovative, more productive, and better able to handle change. Without it, silence can lead to missed warnings, poor decisions, and increased stress under pressure.
AI reshapes roles by automating routine tasks and amplifying human decision-making. Studies from MIT show that organizations adopting AI responsibly become more adaptable, not less. The key is to train employees to use AI as a tool, rather than banning it. When managed well, AI increases team capacity, frees time for strategic work, and strengthens resilience.
Wellbeing is central to resilience. The Job Demands–Resources model shows burnout happens when demands exceed resources. Managers who support learning (mind), physical energy (body), and purpose (spirit) create sustainable performance. Without this balance, teams may push hard in the short term but will lack the stamina to adapt and thrive long term.