VOIS - Area 2 - Module 6

  1. MODULE TITLE

Module 6: Adaptability and flexibility
  1. AUTHORS

CWEP
  1. SHORT DESCRIPTION

Adaptability and flexibility are considered as examples of soft skills supporting Open Innovation. Employees who deal with the innovation process in the company should have this competency developed at a high level. The complexity and dynamic of the working environment put every employee in a situation that requires these qualities to cope with working conditions . For managers adaptability and flexibility are the must-have skills. To understand the meaning of adaptability and flexibility for managers who deal with Open Innovation you need to be aware of the conditions that influence competencies requirements. Adaptability and flexibility are necessary soft skills for dealing with new or different situations, ideas, or problems in the workplace. These competencies are important to effectively deal with innovation.
  1. LEARNING OBJECTIVES

    Upon completing this module, you should be able to:

  • Explain the link between the adaptability and flexibility of their employees and themselves and company innovativeness
  • Self-evaluate their own adaptability and flexibility
  • Describe the role of adaptability and flexibility in a competency model for Open Innovation
  • Describe the resource-based model of adaptability
  • Prepare and apply their strategy for developing adaptability and flexibility skills
  1. Training Content
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Practical aspects for adaptability and flexibility at work

Source: https://pl.freepik.com/

Examples of adaptability and flexibility at work:

  • 2020 – the beginning of the pandemic SARS-CoV-2. You need to adapt and work partly from home, partly from the office or accept that you changed your lovely desk at work for a small working place at home and be effective at the same level.
  • The company or department hires a new manager. You have to adapt to their management style to work together successfully.
  • A colleague resigned from his job, and he was a very important person in the team because of his substantive knowledge and sense of humor, thanks to which you had many opportunities to laugh. You have to adapt to the new situation – who to consult about problems at work, who to ask for help, and where to find reasons to laugh without his jokes.
  • Your company has been acquired by another company. Everything changes: IT systems, organizational structure, and rules of communication. You have to learn everything all over again.
  • Your company has decided to introduce RFID technology. How will this affect the work of the entire company, and how will it affect your responsibilities?
  • Your organization is making structural changes that cause a shift in work hours, being able to work a 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift (as opposed to a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. shift).

Examples of how to demonstrate and develop adaptability and flexibility:

  • Look for positive ways to make changes work-effective rather than trying identifying why change will not be successful (say “yes” rather than “no” as a first instinct)
  • Adapt to change and to new ways of working quickly and easily
  • Make suggestions for increasing the effectiveness of changes
  • Show willingness to learn new methods, procedures, or techniques
  • Shift your priorities in response to the demands of a situation
  • Bounce back from setbacks and maintain a positive attitude
  • Take on new responsibilities and roles
  • Show that you are open to different ideas and perspectives
  • Make an effort to work effectively with others even though their preferred
  • way of working is different from yours
  • Accept that others may do things differently than you would
  • Show flexibility when applying guidelines or procedures to get the job

done and meet organizational objectives

  • Recognize that certain situations require different approaches and

react  appropriately

  • Adjust priorities and plans in response to changing circumstances
  • Enthusiastically adopt new systems or procedure

Adaptability and flexibility involve other skills. Being adaptive and flexible at work lets you develop other skills and abilities:

  • You improve your problem-solving skills,
  • You become a good listener, an active listener
  • You are open to new ideas,
  • You increase your ability to work under pressure,
  • You become more innovative,
  • You improve your working skills,
  • You become more confident,
  • You respect others’ point of view,
  • You become more knowledgeable,
  • You become a better leader.

Action steps for increasing leadership adaptability

  • embrace curiosity,
  • remain open to change,
  • create support systems,
  • increase self-awareness,
  • embrace new environments and situations.

Quiz

The situation takes place somewhere in Central and Eastern Europe, in the headquarters of a branch of an international company. An employee of the accounting department, in a conversation with their superior, was informed that, according to the plan, in the next month the accounting department will start supporting another foreign branch of the company. And the employee is assigned to perform services for the new client. The employee refused to accept new duties, and a few days later they resigned, explaining that they are not ready to work in English, despite that they passed the English language proficiency test at the recruitment stage. What competencies did the employee lack in this case?

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