Adaptive Performance

Adaptive Performance

Adaptive Performance Jonathan Poland

Adaptive performance is the ability of an individual to perform well in changing, uncertain, and stressful situations. This type of performance is highly valued by employers, as it can help prevent inefficiencies and other problems that can arise when individuals are not able to adapt to changing circumstances. For example, if an employee is resistant to change, they may not be able to adapt to new technologies or processes, leading to inefficiencies and lost productivity. Similarly, if an employee lacks imagination or fails to think outside the box, they may be unable to come up with creative solutions to complex problems, again leading to inefficiencies and lost productivity. Overall, adaptive performance is an important quality for individuals to have in today’s fast-paced and constantly changing world. Employers who value this quality are likely to be more successful and efficient than those who do not.

Crisis Handling

Crisis handling such as a flight attendant who remains calm and professional in handling an in-flight emergency.

Fluid Intelligence

Fluid intelligence is the ability to solve problems in areas where you have little or no previous experience such as a passenger who can land an aircraft for the first time with voice direction from the ground.

Dealing With Ambiguity

Making reasonable decisions in a timely manner where information is missing. For example, a pilot who can work out where a runway is in extremely harsh conditions of low visibility.

Situational Awareness

Performance in fast moving situations that are often somewhat ambiguous but require decisive action such as a pilot who decides that a crosswind is manageable seconds before an aircraft touches down.

Openness

A willingness to consider new ideas and ideas that challenge your assumptions and experience. For example, a CEO of an oil company who is willing to consider that a business model they have been using all their life is no longer feasible or sustainable.

Rebelliousness

A willingness to break rules if they make no sense. For example, an algorithm engineer who ignores low value meetings they are supposed to attend because they are working on something big.

Social Loafing

Social loafing is the observation that individuals often work harder on independent work than group work. This is often supposed to be a problem but can also be fully rational adaptive behavior. For example, an algorithm engineer who doesn’t say much in a very non-stimulating meeting about HR compliance issues because they don’t see what value they have to add.

Camaraderie

Camaraderie is a sense of common purpose with a team such that you are willing to step in to fill gaps. For example, a hotel staff who is willing to manage the front desk suddenly with no training because the regular manager called in sick.

Fake It Till You Make It

Fake it till you make it is a willingness to try things that you are unprepared to try based on the realization this is sometimes a good way to learn. For example, a learner of Japanese who is willing to step into conversations that are way over their head as a means of gaining conversational experience.

Failure Resilience

The ability to bounce back from failure without loss of enthusiasm. This also implies that you take the failure seriously and try to learn from it as opposed to simply bouncing back out of denial or a narcissistic belief in your own greatness. For example, a goalie who performs terribly in one game who is able to return to full performance the next.

Stress Resilience

The ability to perform under high stress. For example, a goalie who can perform after being booed by their own fans and treated coldly by teammates.

Risk Taking

A capacity to take calculated risk. For example, a creative director at an advertising agency who is known for taking creative risks that often work out.

Physical Adaptability

It is common for manual and technical work to require physical adaptability. For example, an elevator repair person who is comfortable working in heights, confined spaces and dusty environments.

Cultural Adaptability

Cultural intelligence and the ability to adapt to different cultural expectations, norms and practices. This can include national cultures and organizational cultures. For example, an individual who has worked for a government department for many years who must adapt to the culture at an investment bank where expectations, norms and practices are completely different.

Creativity

Creativity is a type of adaptive performance whereby an individual is able to overcome the obvious and cliche solutions that easily come to mind to reach beyond what other people have already figured out.

Tolerance for Mediocrity

Adaptive performance is often a trade-off with other traits such as patience. For example, individuals with very high adaptive performance may be impatient with red tape, resistance to change and organizations that prioritize group harmony over performance. Some organizations are too rigid for adaptive performers such that they are likely to leave. In other words, adaptive performance is a culture as much as it is an individual capacity.

Learn More
Types of Capital Jonathan Poland

Types of Capital

Capital is an asset that is expected to produce future economic value. It is a productive resource that is used…

Relative Advantage Jonathan Poland

Relative Advantage

Relative advantage refers to the extent to which a company’s product, service, or offering is superior to those of its…

Design Thinking Jonathan Poland

Design Thinking

Design thinking is a process that uses design principles and techniques to solve complex problems, create new ideas, and develop…

Innovation Risk Jonathan Poland

Innovation Risk

Innovation is a proactive approach to business and design that aims to make significant improvements, rather than simply making incremental…

Product Category Jonathan Poland

Product Category

A product category is a classification of similar or related products or services. These categories are often created by a…

Business Impact Risk Jonathan Poland

Business Impact Risk

Business impact risk refers to the potential negative consequences that a business may face as a result of certain events…

Latent Need Jonathan Poland

Latent Need

A latent need is a customer need that is not currently being met by the market and is not actively…

What is Price Stability? Jonathan Poland

What is Price Stability?

Price stability refers to the maintenance of relatively stable prices over time. This is typically measured by the rate of…

Coding Skills Jonathan Poland

Coding Skills

Coding skills are a combination of talents, knowledge, and experience that enable an individual to create valuable software. This can…

Content Database

Search over 1,000 posts on topics across
business, finance, and capital markets.

Internal Communication Jonathan Poland

Internal Communication

Internal communication is the exchange of information within an organization that is designed to help it achieve its goals. This…

Tribes Jonathan Poland

Tribes

Tribes are groups of people who self-organize around common interests, values, communities, professions, needs, or aspirations. The concept of tribes…

ERG Theory Jonathan Poland

ERG Theory

ERG theory is a motivational theory that was developed by Clayton Alderfer. It is an extension of Maslow’s hierarchy of…

Relationship marketing Jonathan Poland

Relationship marketing

Relationship marketing is a type of marketing that focuses on building long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with customers, rather than just…

Salesforce Automation Jonathan Poland

Salesforce Automation

Sales force automation is a type of management tool that helps businesses automate and streamline their core sales processes, such…

Design Innovation Jonathan Poland

Design Innovation

Design innovation refers to the development of designs that represent a significant advancement. This can encompass innovation in fields that…

Brand Risk Jonathan Poland

Brand Risk

Brand risk refers to the potential for a brand to lose value or for a new brand to fail in…

Project Goals Jonathan Poland

Project Goals

Project goals refer to the desired business outcomes that a project aims to achieve. These goals are typically outlined in…

Business Assets Jonathan Poland

Business Assets

In business, assets are useful property that are owned by the company. These assets can be divided into three categories:…