Adaptability is a fairly self-explanatory term, but, in a world of ever advancing technology, it represents an invaluable and sometimes underappreciated skill. It includes not only the ability to learn new skills and utilize new information, but also to adapt to a change in corporate culture or ideology. It’s important to realize that this doesn’t only apply to employees, but also to the companies themselves. An organization that cannot change risks stagnation and thus losing relevance.
Understanding Change
In order to adequately respond to change, you have to understand its origin and why its happening. It starts with knowing your purpose. Whether you are looking at the big picture or just an individual project, knowing exactly what service you provide allows you to predict changes in the industry or in your office. It also pays to know what aspects of your job add value to a product or to the organization.
A simple reminder is to do your homework. In other words, expose yourself to as much new information as possible. Gather information and seek out trends that might indicate something new happening in your industry. This will make you more resilient if changes do occur, because you’ll be able to adapt more quickly, but it also allows you to anticipate and prepare for future growth.
Keep Learning
Workplace seminars are the most common method of continued education and many employers offer services to allow their employees to obtain certifications related to their career. This is especially useful for staying up to date on changes or updates in your sector. However, it’s often not prudent to wait for the right class to be offered. In that case, independent personal development becomes necessary.
There are a lot of resources available to learn new skills such as Skillshare, Coursera, and Codecademy. Some of these, like Codecademy are highly specialized to specific disciplines, so it is important to determine what would be most beneficial to learn.
This is where understanding market trends becomes even more important. If you can anticipate what direction the market is heading, you can train in skills relevant to that path and position yourself for future growth.
Changing Mentality
Besides major efforts of self-education, there are many minor efforts that you can make that will help you be more resilient in the face of a changing industry.
Accept the Changes – While idealizing the past is sometimes a natural reflex, refusing to accept new protocols and ideologies can be counter productive. Flexibility and a willingness to embrace change will make you a more valuable member of your organization.
Adopt Technology – Starting to use a new program or system can have a difficult learning curve and be a daunting prospect, especially for older employees. By making an effort to stay up to date, you can prevent becoming obsolete and establish yourself as a more progressive and savvy employee.
Maintain Positivity – One particularly damaging aspect of dealing with new circumstances is the tendency to react negatively to changes you might not understand or see as necessary. Changes don’t occur overnight, but addressing the new information with a positive attitude and an open mind, encourages a quicker adjustment period.
Embrace Ambiguity – A lack of stability can lead to a sense of anxiety, but uncertainty is common in a fast-paced business world. By learning to accept this ambiguity and take new situations in stride you increase your value to any organization in flux. This also develops your ability to improvise and adapt to unexpected situations.
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Change is inevitable. In every industry and every organization, there is a time where major organizational or technological changes become imperative to their success. Resisting this change is both futile and potentially damaging to your company and career. By staying informed and learning how to adapt to new situations, you can safeguard your position in an ever dynamic business world.
