Over the past few years, adaptability has risen to the top of the list of the most in-demand and valuable workplace skills. We’ve also all been forced to adapt – like it or not – due to the pandemic. Constant change brings uncertainty and stress and unfortunately there is no pause button on change. It will happen whether we want it to or not.
How do you feel about all the potential future change? Does it excite and inspire you? Does it make you feel nervous or overwhelmed? What potential changes excite you? Which ones scare you? We all experience change and adapt differently. While we’ve all found ways to adapt, we aren’t always able to adapt in ways that are healthy. Over time, even the best people will stop caring and check out or keep trying so hard they eventually burn out.
The good news is that you can make change work for you and your team. New research shows us there are ways to boost your ability to adapt and ensure you adapt in ways that are healthy and help you thrive.
What is adaptability?
It refers to our individual ability to adjust to change. For some this may require learning new skills or different ways of doing things.
When you boost your adaptability, you are more likely to recover faster from setback, find alternative solutions to problems, and successfully navigate change in healthy ways.
A model of adaptability
AQai, a company pioneering research and application on adaptability, has worked in collaboration with leading academic scientists, business leaders, and psychologists from around the world to develop a model for measuring adaptability.
According to their research, our AQ, or ability to adapt is based on three core dimensions:
- Our individual abilities
- Our personal character
- Our work environment
Their model can help us understand:
- How we adapt
- Who adapts and why
- When we adapt
As you look to the future, how helpful would it be if you could determine how you and other people adapt? What if you could identify who in your organization will adapt and why? How useful would it be to know what kind of environment will help you and others to adapt?
We can’t stop change, but you have more power that you think to make change work for you and others. It’s not about accepting change and doing more. There are specific things you can do for yourself and others to make dealing with change easier and less stressful.
If you are interested in learning more about your AQ and how you can boost your adaptability super powers, book a discovery call to learn about the AQ assessment and workshops for you or your team.