Robustness: redefining the conditions for sustainable performance

Following a recent conference held at the Bank and organised by Qualia Consulting in partnership with the Gen7 Academy, Nicole Dochen, Head of HR and a member of Banque de Luxembourg’s Executive Committee, discusses the insights gained during the evening. She shares her perspective on what robustness means for organisations, emphasising that instead of seeing a conflict between robustness and performance, we should consider how robustness can help drive sustainable performance in today's more uncertain environment.

Why has robustness become so important for organisations today?

Nicole Dochen: Profitability, efficiency and optimisation remain essential requirements for every organisation. They help structure actions, clarify priorities, make collective progress and provide a better response to the needs of both clients and employees. However, one of the lessons from the conference is that these important priorities must be viewed from a long-term perspective – despite the fact that we are operating in a world in which it is ever more difficult to plan for disruptions caused by geopolitical tensions, technological transformations, changing attitudes to work, and social and human vulnerabilities. Exceptional events are increasingly frequent in today’s environment.

What were the key takeaways from the presentation by Olivier Hamant, biologist and researcher at INRAE (France's National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment) and author of La Troisième Voie du Vivant?

Nicole: What struck me most was the idea of shifting our perspective. Olivier Hamant pointed out that, in a fluctuating environment, it is not only the systems associated with speed or immediate optimisation that endure, but also those that retain sufficient flexibility to absorb the unexpected, that have the capacity to circulate skills, to learn and to encourage adaptability as the context evolves.

This leads us to re-examine certain elements that are sometimes perceived as secondary: time for dialogue, skills-sharing, diversity of profiles, and learning spaces. These dimensions constitute genuine sources of robustness. A robust system is one that is capable of maintaining stability in the face of adversity and sustaining its viability over time despite fluctuations, shocks and uncertainties, without losing what makes it unique.

‘Robustness’ conference, held on 4 May 2026 at Banque de Luxembourg. Left to right: Laurent Kahn, moderator of the round table, Isabelle Spanagel, Nicole Dochen, Carine Dartiguepeyrou and Olivier Hamant.

How does this way of thinking resonate with Banque de Luxembourg’s experience?

Nicole: It resonates directly with a conviction that we have held for a long time at the Bank:

that a company’s true wealth lies in its people.

Viewed through the prism of robustness, this conviction is particularly relevant. An organisation cannot be sustainably strong if it exhausts its people. It must create the conditions in which everyone can learn, develop and contribute over the long term.

The Bank has also updated its corporate purpose in its articles of association to ensure that its activities have a positive social, societal and environmental impact. This move reflects a clear focus on the long term and on future generations.

In practical terms, how can you create robustness on a day-to-day basis?

Nicole: Robustness is primarily created through culture and practices. At the Bank, we do this through continuing education, internal mobility, the quality of discussion, feedback, inclusion and psychological safety.

Internal mobility is a good illustration of this. When an employee changes roles or departments, they put their skills at the service of a new team. Circulating knowledge like this enhances the organisation’s agility and prevents certain areas of expertise from remaining isolated.

Robustness is also created through our focus on people. The establishment of a ‘care’ unit and the existence of a network of trusted individuals demonstrate that looking after our employees is a prerequisite for collective performance.

How do you put an idea into action?

Nicole: According to panellist Isabelle Spanagel, the first step might begin with a robustness assessment. This involves asking a few simple but fundamental questions: does a team still have bandwidth or is it operating at full capacity? What would happen if a key person left the organisation? Is there sufficient circulation of skills?

An assessment of this kind helps identify the factors that the organisation needs to withstand changing conditions: versatility, the quality of relationships, room for manoeuvre, and the capacity for cooperation. Olivier Hamant also highlights the value of organisational stress tests, which involve simulating breakdown scenarios so that vulnerabilities can be better anticipated. The aim is not to generate concern but to prepare the organisation before the shocks occur and, at the same time, create spaces for dialogue where early warning signs can be flagged before they turn into crises.

What do you think is the main takeaway from this conference?

Nicole: Robustness is not the opposite of performance. It redefines the conditions for the organisation to succeed.

An organisation can only create sustainable value if it preserves what enables it to thrive: its skills, the quality of relationships, knowledge transfer, trust, learning, dialogue, its focus on people and its long-term perspective. There is no doubt that this balance determines an organisation’s capacity for sustainable performance.