Traditional planning needs stability and predictability: define the problem, make a plan, execute it. Complex challenges rarely follow that script. Climate impacts, social shifts and technological change often move faster and in more unpredictable ways than static plans can handle. In such contexts, the idea that a plan gives us 'control' is an illusion. That's why we often see traditional planning struggle these days: it's the wrong tool for the job. What really matters is the ability to observe, sense, interpret, adapt and learn in continual loops.
A navigational mindset treats direction and movement as more important than a fixed destination. It balances purpose and effort with flexibility. This approach often involves shorter planning cycles, small experimental actions, and continuous feedback to see what could work when scaled up. Instead of relying heavily on forecasts and assumptions of stability, it uses iteration and observation to stay on course. The key questions become "what is changing and what can we learn now?" rather than "how can we stick to the plan?"
This way of working relies on distributed decision-making. Those closest to the action have the best visibility and insights to adjust early. Empowering networks, inviting diverse viewpoints, and treating information flow as a lifeline all help systems navigate turbulence. Resilience is less about prediction and more about readiness to respond as the future unfolds.
Something to chew on:
How could you build small learning loops into your projects so you can steer and adjust earlier rather than drift off course when things change?
Resilience Bites offers weekly insights from the Australian Resilience Centre, drawn from decades of work alongside communities across Australia and internationally. Each Bite explores an aspect of resilience and closes with a reflective question to chew on.
Across the series we'll explore themes that shape resilience in practice, including place, patterns, networks, leadership, learning, feedbacks, thresholds and the deeper work of change.
This series is for people working in communities, landscapes, systems and change. It will help you learn key resilience concepts, apply them in practice and build our collective capacity to create resilient futures.
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