Hi,
If you guys would be kind enough to help me with material on "Adaptability" as i would conduct a workshop on "Creativity and Adaptability". I have been able to work on the Creativity half but am facing some difficulties on the Adaptability front.
When i think about Adaptability i can only think about things like - Change Management, Perfromance Management, Conflict management and things like these.
If anybody has any inputs - i request you to share them with me...i am in a soup.
Regards:
Bhushan Sud

From India, Delhi
Dear Bhushan,
When I think of the word adaptability, the next thing that comes to mind is How much is one adaptable? What I mean to say is it is not just what Yoy have mentioned like per.management and all, but something more,
Some thing like a trait that someone must have.
All that I can say is, Adaptability is,
Putting the knowledge that you have acquired, to use, in the best way possible in different circumstances that you encounter, though not achieving the best results.
If you think this is the way you can proceed,
be in touch, my mail ID is
Good Luck
VINAY

From India
Hi Vinay,
You have put it in the simplest and the best possible way - couldnt have said so myself - would you have any PPTs or any articles or websites i could refer to ? -
Google search aint givin me an accurate search -
It is givin me Change Mangement and Conflict management only...
So if you could give me anything, I would appreciate it...
Regards:
Bhushan Sud

From India, Delhi
hi,
change management is very much related to adaptability. environment has an impact on orgnization and this affects organizations as a result organizations will have adapt it self to changing conditions. change in an organizations is basically the adaptability of people to changing requirements. to what extent people are flexible or adaptable. this also includes the attitude or psychology of employes.
regards
shamil

From Sri Lanka
ADAPTABILITY

ADAPTABILITY is a behavioral tool .

IT is a tool which can be used / trained for at the workplace to meet

various needs and situations.

HRM should play a vital role in developing this tool at the workplace.

================================================== ======

Degrees to which adjustments are possible in practices, processes, or structures of systems to

projected or actual changes of climate. Adaptation can be spontaneous or planned, and can

be carried out in responses to or in anticipation of changes.

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Adaptability is a personal characteristic which allows an individual to change their way of being in order to better relate to another person or persons. If an individual can maintain their authenticity, the ideal is for their adaptability to be at a maximum level. This ability to adapt makes all other relationships more likely to be meaningful.

Being able to make compromises and to adjust to changing circumstances defines this dimension. Being able to consistently consider your partner's needs is also an positive aspect of Adaptability.

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IT IS .............

The ability to put yourself in harmony with changed circumstances. Adaptable people embrace change as inevitable and exciting, remain nimble and flexible in the face of constant change and display a high tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty.

Adaptability is a crucial capability in an increasingly volatile world where changes are bigger, happen faster and have less predictable outcomes than ever before.

The FACTORS in this cluster are:

EMBRACING CHANGE

FLEXIBILITY

RISK MANAGEMENT

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EMBRACING CHANGE

As the well-known saying 'there is nothing permanent except change' reminds us, changes are both inevitable and continuous. There are transformational changes, with unpredictable outcomes, and smaller incremental changes that are less daunting and easier to manage. Sometimes changes are imposed on us, either by circumstances beyond our control or by people who are keen to introduce them. Often we identify the need for change ourselves and take steps to champion it and bring other people round to our way of thinking.

It is precisely because changes are inescapable that it is better to embrace them than to waste energy resisting them. Even when you harbour reservations about the wisdom of a change, it is far easier to work with it and seek improvements than to resist it (or ignore it and hope it will go away).

This will help you to:

Become more committed to change

Prepare for change

Use your dissatisfaction with 'what is' as a spur for taking initiatives

Develop a vision of how much better things could be

Plan how to overcome resistance and take the first steps to implement change.

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FLEXIBILITY

Flexibility is an increasingly important business skill in our rapidly changing world. Every organisation, public or private, profit making or non-profit making, needs people who display agility in the face of relentless change. Certainly the world of commerce is subject to the 'law of the jungle' whereby only the strongest survive. Just as species of plants and animals evolve and adapt to the demands made on them by their environment, so do organisations. The business environment changes frequently and rapidly and if organisations are slow to react they risk not surviving.

These demands filter down through organisations and make corresponding demands on their people. They must be equally flexible and able to adapt to changing demands. Some of the demands made on them will be dealing with uncertainty and ambiguity; accepting and coping with change; rising to the challenge of different demands made on their time, resources and skills; and dealing with a variety of different situations and people.

Individuals must also be prepared to compete in the workplace. Constant changes in the marketplace continually render skills and jobs redundant and people must be flexible enough to equip themselves with the skills needed for new and changing job functions. This involves retraining, acquiring generic skills that are useful in different jobs and updating existing skills, especially to keep up with technological advances.

This explores four areas in which it is important to be flexible:

When interacting and communicating with other people

When tackling problems

When using and developing your skills

When dealing with change.

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RISK MANAGEMENT

Risk management describes the process of taking calculated risks in the pursuit of organisational benefit. It involves dealing in the unknown, where information is incomplete, the future is difficult to predict and yet decisions must be made promptly and firmly. Some people thrive on the excitement and danger of this situation and take unnecessary risks. At the other extreme, some people are paralysed by the lack of certainty and fail to act decisively. The ideal is somewhere in the middle, where you rise to the challenge and deal with uncertainty by taking 'sensible', measured risks.

Risks are a double-edged sword - they offer significant benefits that may or may not be outweighed by adverse consequences. The problem is that nobody can know for certain which side of the sword applies.

Risk management begins with an evaluation of both potential risk and potential benefit, to establish which risks are worth taking. Information must be gathered, processed and applied and then a plan can be formulated. The plan should 'factor in' the uncertainty and at the same time help you achieve your goals. This decision-making process will, inevitably, suffer from a lack of information but other resources can be brought to bear, such as intuition and creativity. Finally, your plan can be implemented with review points where, as events unfold and the future becomes clearer, the plan can be adapted.

This explores three elements of risk management:

The way you evaluate data and make plans that manage risk

The flexibility of your approach to managing risk

How responsibly you deal with risk.

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ADAPTABILITY

WHAT IS ADAPTABILITY?

Adaptability/Flexibility refers to the ability to alter a course of action when new information becomes available.

/ when the situation changes.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SITUATIONS THAT REQUIRE QUICK ADAPTATION

When:

Unbriefed Situations Arise

A Routine Mission Becomes an Emergency

Transitions Occur

A Crew Member is Incapacitated

Interactions are Strained

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MAINTAINING ADAPTABILITY / FLEXIBILITY

Anticipate Problems

Recognize and Acknowledge any change

Determine if an SOP or Habitual Response is Appropriate

Offer alternative solutions

Provide and Ask for Assistance

Interact Constructively with Others

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SETTING THE TONE FOR ADAPTABILITY/FLEXIBILITY

Establish an open, professional atmosphere

Ensure the crew understands the mission

================================================== ===

ADAPTABILITY AT THE WORKPLACE

something HR must think about

Today’s organizations are characterized by changing, dynamic environments in which the

need for adaptive workers has become increasingly important .

Although adaptability is not a new concept, the pace and types of change we are experiencing

only continues to grow, which has caused research sponsors, academic researchers, and

practitioners in organizations to become increasingly interested in understanding and enhancing

adaptability in the workplace.

--For example, changing technologies and automation continue to

alter the nature of work tasks , requiring employees

to learn new ways to perform their jobs.

--Mergers, “rightsizing,” and corporate restructuring also

require individuals to learn new skills to be competitive for different jobs.

--In a global economy, many jobs require individuals to learn to operate effectively in a

variety of different countries and with individuals who possess different values and orientations

than themselves . Workers need to be increasingly adaptable,

versatile, and tolerant of uncertainty to operate effectively in these changing and varied

environments. Yet, adaptability, flexibility, and versatility have not accepted in training.

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The purpose of this write -up was to explore the concept of adaptive performance

in work contexts and more precisely define the adaptive performance requirements of jobs.

While the attributes individuals need to be adaptable and the processes by which adaptation

occurs in organizations are important, it is our contention that it is not possible to accurately

specify what attributes lead to adaptive performance or how this adaptation occurs until we have

a solid understanding of the job performance requirements we are trying to predict. In the next

section, we discuss a general framework that was used as a model for developing the present

taxonomy of adaptive performance.

There is a taxonomy of eight major performance components, some subset of which can

describe the highest order latent variables for every job in the occupational domain. The

performance components include:

(1) job-specific task proficiency,

(2) non-job-specific-task proficiency,

(3) written and oral communication,

(4) demonstrating effort,

(5) maintaining personal discipline,

(6) maintaining peer and team performance,

(7) supervision/leadership, and

(8) management/administration.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since development of the initial performance taxonomy,

additional substantive specifications for performance have been offered developed

The following six preliminary dimensions of adaptive performance were

conceptualized and developed are

Solving Problems Creatively. Adapting to novel situations or dynamic and changing

situations frequently requires one to solve new and unfamiliar problems.

Dealing with Uncertain/Unpredictable Work Situations.

adaptability in relation to a wide variety of unpredictable and uncertain work

situations. These situations can result from many different factors, including such things as

formal organizational restructuring, shifting business priorities, reductions or changes in

available resources, or joining a new organization or group .

Learning New Tasks, Technologies, and Procedures. A third aspect of adaptive

performance involves learning new ways to perform a job or learning

different skill sets or tasks to re-tool for a job or new career . This aspect of adaptive performance

has become important largely as a result of the rapid pace of technological advancement and an

increasing emphasis on continual learning in organizations. Today’s workers are increasingly

faced with technical innovation that is forcing them to learn new ways to perform their jobs

Similarly, continuous learning involves the ongoing process of

planning for and participating in development to prepare for anticipated future job requirements.

Many workers can no longer expect to learn one job or one set of skills

and then apply these throughout an entire career. Instead, effective performers in today’s

organizations are those who anticipate future needs and adapt to changing job requirements by

learning new tasks, technologies, procedures, and roles.

Demonstrating Interpersonal Adaptability. A fourth aspect of adaptive performance

is interpersonal adaptability. The need for this type of

adaptive performance has become salient due to more fluid work environments that are

increasingly characterized by work or project teams ,

and the shift from manufacturing-oriented businesses to serviceoriented

businesses. More specifically, aspects of

interpersonal adaptive performance that have been include such things

as demonstrating interpersonal flexibility, adjusting interpersonal style to achieve a goal,

adapting interpersonal behavior to work effectively with a new team, co-workers, or customers,

and being a flexible, responsive service-provider who can effectively anticipate and fulfill

customer needs.

Demonstrating Cultural Adaptability. Another aspect of adaptive performance concerns

adapting to cultural demands within an organizatio or a new country . With the globalization of the business

environment and extent to which workers today change jobs and organizations, the ability to

perform effectively in different cultures and environments is increasingly being recognized as

important . One

component of this performance involves learning such things as language (another language

entirely or acronyms, slang, and jargon that are unique to the organization or culture), goals and

values (formal rules and principles as well as unwritten, informal goals and values that govern

behavior), history (traditions, customs, myths, and rituals that convey cultural knowledge), and

politics (formal and informal relationships and power structures within the culture). Beyond

simply learning about a new culture or environment, however, the key aspect of this type of

adaptive performance involves successfully integrating into a new culture or environment by

fully understanding and willingly behaving in accordance with the accepted customs, values,

rules, and structures operating within it.

Demonstrating Physically Oriented Adaptability. A final aspect of adaptive performance

involves adapting to various physical factors such heat, noise,

uncomfortable climates, and difficult environments

=================================================

A. Handling Emergencies or Crisis Situations

APPROACH

Reacting with appropriate and proper urgency in life

threatening, dangerous, or emergency situations; quickly

analyzing options for dealing with danger or crises and their

implications; making split second decisions based on clear

and focused thinking; maintaining emotional control and

objectivity while keeping focused on the situation at hand;

stepping up to take action and handle danger or emergencies

as necessary and appropriate.

B. Handling Work Stress

APPROACH

Remaining composed and cool when faced with difficult

circumstances or a highly demanding workload/schedule; not

overreacting to unexpected news or situations; managing

frustration well by directing effort to constructive solutions

rather than blaming others; demonstrating resilience and the

highest levels of professionalism in stressful circumstances;

acting as a calming and settling influence that others look to

for guidance.

C. Solving Problems Creatively

APPROACH

Employing unique types of analyses and generating new,

innovative ideas in complex areas; turning problems upside-

down and inside-out to find fresh, new approaches;

integrating seemingly unrelated information and developing

creative solutions; entertaining wide ranging possibilities

others may miss, thinking outside the given parameters to see

if there’s a more effective approach; developing innovative

methods of obtaining or utilizing resources when insufficient

resources are available to do the job.

D. Dealing with Uncertain/Unpredictable Work Situations

APPROACH

Taking effective action when necessary without having to

know the total picture or have all the facts at hand; readily

and easily changing gears in response to unpredictable or

unexpected events and circumstances; effectively adjusting

plans, goals, actions, or priorities to deal with changing

situations; imposing structure for self and others that provide

as much focus as possible in dynamic situations; not needing

things to be black or white, and refusing to be paralyzed by

uncertainty or ambiguity.

E. Learning Work Tasks, Technologies, and Procedures

APPROACH

Demonstrating enthusiasm for learning new approaches and

technologies for conducting work; doing what is necessary to

keep knowledge and skills current; quickly and proficiently

learning new methods or how to perform previously

unlearned tasks; adjusting to new work processes and

procedures; anticipating changes in the work demands and

searching for and participating in assignments or training that

will prepare self for these changes; taking action to improve

work performance deficiencies.

F. Demonstrating Interpersonal Adaptability

APPROACH

Being flexible and open-minded when dealing with others;

listening to and considering others’ viewpoints and opinions,

and altering own opinion when it is appropriate to do so;

being open and accepting of negative or developmental

feedback regarding work; working well and developing

effective relationships with highly diverse personalities;

demonstrating keen insight of others’ behavior and tailoring

own behavior to persuade, influence, or work more

effectively with them.

G. Demonstrating Cultural Adaptability

APPROACH

Taking action to learn about and understand the climate,

orientation, needs, values, etc. of other groups, organizations,

or cultures; integrating well into and being comfortable with

different values, customs and cultures; willingly adjusting

behavior or appearance as necessary to comply with or show

respect for others’ values and customs; understanding the

implications of one’s actions and adjusting approach to

maintain positive relationships with other groups,

organizations, or cultures.

H. Demonstrating Physically Oriented Adaptability

APPROACH

Adjusting to challenging environmental states such as

extreme heat, humidity, cold, dirtiness, etc.; frequently

pushing self physically to complete strenuous or demanding

tasks; adjusting weight/muscular strength or becoming

proficient in performing physical tasks as necessary for the

job.

HOPE THIS IS USEFUL TO YOU

REGARDS

LEO LINGHAM

From India, Mumbai
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