In a recent LinkedIn post, Dr. Rachna Jain discusses the common pitfalls organizations face when trying to recover from difficult reorganizations and argues for a more adaptive approach to resilience. Dr. Rachna Jain highlights that many teams, after a period of significant change, attempt to simply reinstate their previous operational rhythms, meeting cadences, and decision-making processes, only to find their recovery stalling.
This tendency to revert to the past, according to Dr. Rachna Jain, is rooted in a misunderstanding of what true resilience entails. She points out that disruption fundamentally alters not just the organization but also its people, relationships, resources, and the external demands placed upon it. The form that was functional before the disruption may no longer be suitable, and in some cases, it may have even contained the seeds of the original vulnerability.
“The problem may be the destination. Resilience is often described as bouncing back, as though the pre-disruption form is the one worth recovering.”
The Flaw in ‘Bouncing Back’
Dr. Rachna Jain challenges the conventional notion of resilience as merely returning to a previous state. She explains that this ‘bouncing back’ mindset can be counterproductive because it ignores the irreversible changes wrought by disruption. Instead of aiming to erase the experience of the disruption, Dr. Rachna Jain proposes that organizations should focus on what she terms ‘adaptive recovery’.
This adaptive approach hinges on asking a different, more forward-looking question: “What structure can function well now?” As Dr. Rachna Jain elaborates, this might necessitate significant adjustments such as redistributing responsibilities, establishing new boundaries, altering the pace of decision-making, or redefining what sustainable performance looks like in the current context.
“Adaptive recovery asks a different question: What structure can function well now?”
Creating a New, Stronger Shape
The core of Dr. Rachna Jain’s argument is that the purpose of the team or organization can remain continuous, even as its operating form evolves. This is a critical distinction from simply trying to reassemble the old pieces. Resilience, in her view, is not about erasing the past but about intelligently incorporating the changes and reorganizing around the new reality.
Dr. Rachna Jain emphasizes that effective recovery is not always a return to the status quo. Instead, it can be the deliberate creation of a new organizational shape that is robust enough to handle the present circumstances and the work that needs to be done now.
“Resilience does not prove itself by erasing what happened. It incorporates what has changed and reorganizes intelligently around reality.”
She further elaborates on this generative aspect of recovery:
“Sometimes recovery is not a return. It is the creation of a shape strong enough for the life and work that exist now.”
By shifting the focus from a passive return to an active adaptation, Dr. Rachna Jain suggests that organizations can build more enduring resilience, better equipped to navigate future challenges and thrive in their current environment.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Dr. Rachna Jain on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on October 2, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →