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Flexibility/Adaptability

Definition

Degree to which an individual accepts change in job requirements, schedules, or work environments.
 

Behavioral Descriptions
Proficiency Level 5

  • Anticipates and prepares for change.

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  • Proactively adapts to new opportunities or risks.

  • Seeks information from multiple sources that may cause change.

  • Flourishes in high-change environments.
Proficiency Level 4

  • Embraces change voluntarily.

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  • Willing and open to change.

  • Develops new procedures in response to change.

  • Adjusts schedules and timelines to accomplish goals and objectives in response to change.
Proficiency Level 3

  • Changes as needed to get the job done.

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  • Accepts changes in job requirements, schedules, or work environments as part of job.

  • Remains calm and focused during times of change.

  • Makes changes based on new credible information.

  • Maintains productivity when implementing new or altered procedures.

  • Makes effective decisions and achieves desired results in the midst of major changes in responsibilities, work processes, timeframes, performance expectations, organizational culture, or work environment.
Proficiency Level 2

  • Accepts changes reluctantly.

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  • Makes changes only when told to do so.

  • Waits until told to change or adapt rather than taking proactive steps.
Proficiency Level 1

  • Does not accept changes.

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  • Is argumentative in response to changes/adaptations.

  • Ignores information that would cause change.
Suggested Activities for Development

  • Tell your peers you are trying to improve your flexibility and ask them to give you feedback when you are or are not being flexible. Keep a log of the situation and determine ways in which you could be more flexible in the future.

  • Ask your manager and/or colleagues about how you can improve your performance on the job. Modify your work behaviors as appropriate.

  • Each week commit to doing something different (e.g., spend time with someone from a different background, listen to different music, take a different route home).

  • Make a list of routine processes in your work unit. Devise a plan to implement new technology and/or techniques to make them more efficient.

  • Volunteer to work on an innovative project or a project that is different from your normal work.

  • Explore different management styles and techniques for different employees.

  • Take a personality inventory (e.g., Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) to learn more about your personality.

  • Volunteer to work with someone whose viewpoint is different from yours.

  • Develop a business case that supports a significant change in the way your work unit or department does business. Present the costs/benefits associated with the change.
Recommended Courses
Additional Resource

Books

  • Thinking for a Change: 11 Ways Highly Successful People Approach Life and Work by J. C. Maxwell (Warner Books, 2003). People who achieve their dreams understand the critical relationship between their level of thinking and their level of progress--and they know that when thinking is limited, so is potential.

  • Fish! Sticks: A Remarkable Way to Adapt to Changing Times and Keep Your Work Fresh by S. C. Lundin & H. Paul & J. Christensen (Hyperion, 2003). The authors examine change as a necessary, ongoing process that should never stop--at least not if one wants to keep the workplace vital and fully alive.

  • Free the Beagle: A Journey to Destiny by R. H. Williams (Bard Press, 2002). Free the Beagle is an amazingly insightful piece of work and a definite must read for today's (and tomorrow's) leaders.

  • Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life by J. Spencer & K. H. Blanchard (Putnam, 1998). This story is about adjusting attitudes toward change in life, especially at work. Change occurs whether a person is ready or not, but the author affirms that it can be positive.

  • The Organization of the Future by The Drucker Foundation (Jossey-Bass, 1997). The 49 contributors to this collection, an eclectic mix of executives, academics, management experts and consultants offer highly accessible, often conversationally written essays intended as thought-provoking goads to action or change in today's business environment. The emphasis is on creating flexible organizational structures that can respond effectively to global competition, information technology, innovation and customers' changing habits.

  • Managing At The Speed of Change by D. R. Conner (Villard Books, 1993). A well reasoned, original approach to change management, relevant for any organization. Describes the patterns of change, principles of resilience, and the imperative that managers actively lead the change process.

  • Paradigms: The Business of Discovering the Future (HarperBusiness, 1993). This book makes people aware that we view and understand the world through our paradigms. Understanding the power of paradigms can be a crucial step towards breaking through barriers to innovation and unlocking our resistance to change.

Media

  • And When You Fall. The Ice Skater Dan Jensen's Olympic Story-Never say it can't be done! Employee University, 1-888.215.8532.

  • Bad Apples: How to Deal With Difficult Attitudes. If you have lazy teammates, cranky customers, bossy bosses or rigid co-workers, then Bad Apples is for you! Employee University, 1-888.215.8532.

  • Cross-Cultural Understanding. Investigates all the key components of culture, including values and beliefs, social structure, perceptions of time, communication styles, proper etiquette and more. Employee University, 1-888.215.8532.

 
Behavioral-Based Interviewing Questions