Three tell-tale signs your organisation isn’t adaptable

A Harvard Business School survey found that 71% of leaders rated Adaptability as the most important skill for digital transformation. That put it streets ahead of a laudible peleton comprising curiosity, creativity and comfort with ambiguity. And yet Barclays Lifeskills found that only 8% of organisations are proactively developing Adaptability as a skill (and no, Change Management doesn’t count for reasons given here).

So based on those stats, there’s a strong chance your organisation isn’t as adaptable as it needs to be. But to check that out for yourself, here are three tell-tale signs that your organisation may be sleep-walking towards the exit:

1) Your strategy is largely more of the same, built forwards from where you are today, not backwards from your vision
"What got you here won’t get you there." (Marshall Goldsmith). Just pressing the accelerator isn’t enough anymore. You’ve got to be able to floor it while doing a handbrake turn into a field of corn so high you can only navigate by your north star. Ford’s axing of the Focus – the world’s best-selling car not so long ago – proves that even cash cows aren’t sacred cows. I reckon Ford’s vision, “to become the world’s most trusted company, designing smart vehicles for a smart world” is dripping with ambition and future intent. Where might Kodak be now had it ruthlessly pursued such a vision when it invented the digital camera?

2) You aren’t hiring for Adaptability
On my own journey from the shopfloor to the boardroom, I’ve observed that irrespective of job title, most people resist most change most of the time. Which isn’t surprising as we’re pre-programmed to perceive change as a threat to our security. Adaptability is a rare skill, so make sure you’re hunting for it in your candidates. The bonus news is that it can be contagious. Leaders who can adapt create followers who can adapt as they experience first-hand that even negative change can be the chance to make a positive difference. Malala Yousafzai – the Pakistani girl shot by the Taliban for going to school – has galvanised others like her to continue their education, despite the risks.

If your organisation isn’t hiring for Adaptability, and it's also one of the 92% not developing it in-house either, what does that tell you about how important it really is?

3) You’re always too busy
This is the most water-tight excuse that exists for not adapting what you do and for not becoming more adaptable in how you think. There. Isn't. Time. After all, you’re doing things that are proven to deliver – which makes them low risk, high return. Awesome! And it feels great constantly whack-a-moling the never-ending urgent work that keeps popping up.

But your customers don’t give a *&^% how busy you are. They’ve got issues emerging that you’re not solving. The only way to adapt to the shifting sands of their needs and wants is to step back occasionally and figure out what’s really needed instead of what’s really keeping you busy.

Every week I watch young hockey players dance around their opponents. But they usually end up losing the ball because they just keep running head down at the opposition. With age though (and I have lots of it) comes the realisation that the best way to get round a competitor is to look up, pass the ball back, out to the wing, down the line and in towards the goal. Taking time out to think about how to do the work differently and better is obvious in theory, but not when you’re in the trenches digging.

With these three tell-tale signs, you can assess whether your strategy lacks ambition, whether you’re hiring people who are missing the most important skill and whether you’re rewarding inputs over outcomes. Fix those, and you’ll be well on your way to raising your organisation’s Adaptability Intelligence.

Rich Alderton specialises in Adaptability Intelligence, so to learn how to become more adaptable call us on 07873 823 800, email us or complete our enquiry form.

And you can download Rich's new e-book here.