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Over 2000 years ago, the Greek philosopher Heraclitus remarked, “The only thing that is constant is change.” He’s still right, but today the pace of change seems faster than ever, with few signs of slowing down anytime soon. This rapid change impacts us individually and collectively. It forces upon us fresh problems and challenges to which we need to respond.
In this fast-shifting working world, organisations will have to raise their workforce’s adaptability to remain successful. Every person, at every level of an organisation, must be able to adapt quickly and effectively. Without doing so, organisations risk being left behind.
Why focus on adaptability ?
Think about your life 10 years ago. What was happening then that isn’t happening now? What is happening now that didn’t happen then?
Like most people, you’ll probably find that your life has changed quite considerably. We each have our own unique challenges and changes to which we need to adapt. These changes may be personal or professional, big or small, chosen or forced upon us. Regardless of the type of change, it is an inescapable part of life.
In addition to our own personal changes, there are also macro-level changes at play that impact us all. Research has revealed 14 ‘megatrends’ that are impacting the way we live and work.1, 2 From aging populations to big data, conflicting ideologies to sustainability, these megatrends all warrant our attention. This is especially true now that COVID-19 has turbocharged many of the effects.
What does all this change mean for us and our organisations?
In this landscape, an inability to let go of old, tried-and-tested behaviours will ultimately lead to failure. Simply doing as you have always done and resting on your laurels is a sure-fire route to disappointment. This is well-documented at an organisational level, with scholars and institutions noting that the average lifespan of organisations has dropped significantly over the last few decades.3
To survive, most modern organisations invest great effort in equipping their people with the skills needed for success. These skills may be technical or interpersonal — programming, collaboration, influencing, and so on. Although these skills are important, there is one skill that we all need in a world where we don’t know the challenges of tomorrow: adaptability.
We’re not alone in this belief. Adaptability has been voted in the top five skills that companies need most in annual LinkedIn surveys year after year.4 Academic research on adaptability has also grown exponentially over the last 30 years.5
This paints a compelling picture. It tells us we should seek to understand and develop adaptability, both in ourselves, and our organisations. To do this, we first need to clarify exactly what we mean by ‘adaptability’.