Chapter 2: Adaptability

“Adaptability is about the powerful difference between adapting to cope and adapting to win.”- Max McKeown

Introduction:         

When I think of adaptability, I remember my school days. Till 5th standard I studied in a single teacher school in my village which was just a two-minute walk from my home. For 6th standard I joined a school which was 3 kms away from home. The only way to reach the school is to go by walk on most of the days. Some days a bullock cart or a sand lorry going towards the town give us a ride to reach 2/3 of distance. Adopted to this change and after few months, this has become a routine and did this for 6 years until completed the 11th standard. Then joined a college which was 10 kms away from my village and only one private bus ferries college students to board the bus.   Even if you sleep standing will not fall as the bus used to be so full finding an extra inch of space was difficult. Adopted to this and studied for 5 years and completed my graduation. Starting my life at Bangalore after my graduation- moving from a remote village in Tamil Nadu to State Capital of Karnataka that too without knowing the local and English language. This was a real challenge in my life to adopt to the new city, environment, people, and language. I did all that well over a period.  Therefore, I feel confident of talking on this topic and providing some insights to those who start their career afresh or have some challenges with respect to adaptability.    

Defining Adaptability:         

Adaptability is a generic term with widespread applications. Let us look at the relevant part of the dictionary meaning pertaining to certain areas.  Adaptability in the field of organizational management would be an ability to change something or oneself to fit to occurring changes. In ecology, adaptability has been described as the ability to cope with unexpected disturbances in the environment. With respect to business and manufacturing systems and processes, adaptability has come to be seen increasingly as an important factor for efficiency and economic success.

Adaptability is order of the day:         

In this dynamic world, the phenomenon of change is an ongoing process and occurs much faster than in the past. The reason for this can be attributed to technological advancements, increasing levels of competition and the pressure to demonstrate consistent growth year after year.  For example, when a product is found underperforming to the changing needs, the users decide to get rid of it. Subsequently, its intrinsic value diminishes, and the product may be sold as scrap. About a decade back, I read an article: “To stay where you are, you need to keep running”. The statement was made according to the prevailing conditions a decade ago, but it is true and holds good even in today’s environment and shall be true even a decade later. Take the case of social and family life experiences: After marriage both husband and wife recognize that they need to learn the techniques of adaptability, and they must develop this especially during the children’s upbringing. To be successful in a career, this sort of adaptability is very much essential.

Five points to overcome the adaptability challenges:         

Based on my personal experiences I suggest one to have look at the following five basic points when you face adaptability challenge:

1. Understand. Spend sufficient time to understand the new environment, people, and the expectations on change that affects personally or professionally.
2. Maintain patience. Get things accomplished in a step-by-step approach by maintaining patience and calmness.
3. Clarify, rather than Question. Use the clarifying approach, rather than the question approach. Ego gets hurt when someone is thought or idea is questioned; whereas, if clarification is sought, willingness/openness gets developed.
4. Open to learn. Adapt to change one must cultivate habit of openness to learn.
5. Positive mindset. Deal the situations with positive mindset.

      “All failure is failure to adapt, all success is successful adaptation.” -Max McKeown