Which objectives take the form of targets to enhance organizational resilience?

According to ISO 22301:2019, an organization must establish Business Continuity objectives. These objectives are specific, measurable targets derived from the business continuity policy. The fundamental purpose of a Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) is to enhance an organization's ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disruptive incidents. Therefore, the business continuity objectives are the explicit targets set by the organization to improve its capabilities and processes, directly contributing to and enhancing overall organizational resilience.

B. Business Service: A business service is an outcome or activity that the organization provides; objectives are set to ensure the continuity of these services, but they are not the objectives themselves.

C. Business Strategy: Business continuity objectives must align with the overall business strategy, but the strategy itself is the high-level plan for the organization, not the specific targets for resilience.

D. Business Process: A business process is a set of internal activities. Like services, critical processes are what the business continuity objectives aim to protect and recover, not the objectives themselves.

1. ISO 22301:2019, "Security and resilience — Business continuity management systems — Requirements":

Clause 6.2, "Business continuity objectives and planning to achieve them": This clause mandates that "The organization shall establish business continuity objectives at relevant functions, levels and processes." It specifies that these objectives must be consistent with the business continuity policy and be measurable, directly linking them to performance targets.

Clause 0.1, "General": This section states the purpose of a BCMS is to manage an organization's "overall ability to continue to operate during disruptions," which is the core of organizational resilience. The objectives are the mechanism to achieve this purpose.

2. Herbane, B. (2019). "Rethinking organizational resilience and resilience culture in the context of business continuity". Journal of Business Continuity & Emergency Planning, 12(3), 258-270.

This paper discusses how the formal structures of a BCMS, such as those defined in ISO 22301, including the setting of clear objectives, are fundamental to building and enhancing organizational resilience. It frames business continuity as a key contributor to the broader concept of resilience. (Available through academic databases like ProQuest).