The World Economic Forum has suggested we are moving into a new era, one they've dubbed the "Fourth Revolution". It is a period where organizational agility, pivoting and new strategies are required for business success.

Leadership Guru Robert Cerone from Chicago takes this one step further in his article on Adaptability - saying that business leaders must adapt to change so their companies remain productive. 

He uses the term "Adaptability Quotient (AQ), which means focusing on how your business will adapt to environmental factors of change and how can you apply appropriate AQ measures to ensure high performance continues in your organization with the lockdowns scenarios.
Business leaders should not only care about this AQ measure when dealing with their people in meetings and communications, but they should be addressing topics like Remotability (checking how remote teams are doing with work away from home through surveys and check-ins), and addressing impacts and support measures i.e. situational changes that require retraining or coaching. By checking on impacts and consequences, leaders will be supported by their teams as they've chosen empathy and authenticity. Leaders need to support the people side of change so their people and business can be adaptable enough to stay competitive, as the world around us changes.

Adaptability Quotient, according to an Advantage article, is "the ability to adjust course, product, service and strategy in response to unanticipated changes in the market."
From a coaching and personal level, the Adaptability Quotient is a great way to measure an individual's ability to adjust to change. Having been part of many change programs in organizations going through a transformation, it's easy to see the ones who are overwhelmed with the constant change within their organization. Couple that with COVID lockdowns, and we heighten the need for change support for individuals and teams. This may look like career transformation and career management programs. Or it may be change resilience training or psychometric assessments like Belbin for team coaching, which can set the scene to enable new conversations and storytelling in real-time. 

Other measures I've heard of include Lean In and Working Out Loud circles, which encourage people to open up about their goals and aspirations. One idea shared recently was a Melbourne front line COVID team of workers deciding to work collaboratively over Zoom for two hours a day, inviting those who wanted company or support to login and work in partnership. A shared problem is a one halved the saying goes, and by asking a question, there's a network of others who are happy to chip in.

By looking at an individual's ability to adjust to change, you are able to gather insights and ideas from them as to how you could best support the adjustments as their leader. 

Some team players find it hard to adapt to change, or are unwilling to learn another new system or adopt a new program. Some will take an opportunity to exit the business rather than adapting. These people would be low on AQ, whereas the networkers would be high in AQ. 

One of the critical skills being taught in universities now is design thinking - getting groups to brainstorm together and create new solutions to new challenges. The ability to adapt to change is an essential core skill for employees who want to continue to succeed in their professional environments.

Many businesses are pivoting currently - those that were contractors may be taking permanent roles. Some that were contracted out to larger firms as consultants are now creating their own online offering or selling direct to hiring managers. 

One of the things my business has done over lockdown is pivot through personal branding to my new program offerings. I've also taken on a business coach, a marketing coach, and a web design team. I'm looking to scale through partnerships and collaboration. I've also started the journey toward being an Agile Coach, after years in Change and Communications Management, and I've become a Team Coach accredited with the Global Team Coaching Institute. I also did a refresher for executive and organizational coaching in preparation for my journey from ACC to PCC coach with the International Coaching Federation.

I'm only explaining the business aspect of how I pivoted. The home life is another important topic that is now much more commonplace in business conversations than ever before. For me, I used the lockdown to create more family connection moments, like walking chats and making dog walking a shared activity. Also, we had some wonderful conversations with those living away from home, via Zoom.

Knowing how I enjoy coaching small groups, I also signed up to facilitate a number of mastermind groups, which take people on a 12-week staged journey, delivering more confident and capable individuals at the end. Most set a goal at the beginning of the journey and collaborate with their peers in a new way as they attend to their self-mastery and personal goals.

Here are a few tips on how you could find help the pivoting and adapting of those around you:

• Use Authentic Leadership techniques to deepen relationships through active listening and empathy - just a few simple questions can make a huge difference
• Remain open to new innovative ideas and possibilities
• Be open-minded and kind-hearted to those in your team
• Try to see the world through the eyes of another, who might be struggling with being a parent, child, spouse, and employee, all with no dedicated home office space.
• Let go of your ego around your role, to share the uncertainty and feelings of those impacted negatively by new ways of working.

You may be wondering how AQ fits with Intelligence Quotients (IQ) and Emotional Quotients (EQ). Actually, AQ is an essential measure for evaluating prospective employees. NASA checks its future recruits for adaptability, and I'm sure I once was screened for AQ and EQ when I applied as a 17-year-old to go to the USA for a year as an American Field Service exchange student. One of the tests was to see how I fitted in with a new group of people, how quickly did I engage with them. People are looking for those who look out for others and care for them genuinely, taking a team approach.

What does this AQ measure mean to your business, as customer demands grow, market trends, and technology changes? Remind yourself, it is only those that can adjust and adapt to change that will succeed.

Business leaders need to get comfortable with changing their ways, helping their employees adopt new ways of working by supporting their teams. The way leaders lead change has a huge influence on how their teams will react. 

One way to influence collective AQ is for leaders to maintain open lines of communication, encouraging people to take risks, and pursue their ideas within the organization. In a 2013 tour through Caterpillar's HQ in Illinois, a group of MBA students found that staff was encouraged to share their ideas with senior leaders in a visible way. The idea was placed in an envelope on a journey map and anyone could see what was suggested when it was considered and whether it was adopted. There were rewards and incentives in place for those ideas that were adopted. 

In another show of support, if one of the machines Caterpillar world HQ goes down, the music starts playing and the staff knows to take a break. Later a supervisor might ask them for their insights on what might have happened and what could be improved. The team is keen to contribute to these situations as their voices were being heard. Later one or two might be offered a refresher course, just in case it was human error. In the past, those same employees might have found that human error was career-limiting. Now support and adaptability to challenges are one of their growth hallmarks as a company.

Adaptability is important when individuals and teams need to pivot or solve a problem the organization is facing. 

Model Adaptability to Lead Your Teams and Organisation Forward

Adaptability takes years of practice responding mindfully to challenges as they arise. As business leaders, you have a lot of power to influence your team and to move your business forward.

Small businesses and startups that operate with the intention of accepting and adjusting to change are the ones most likely to endure and ultimately succeed in the rapidly changing world in which we live.

Want to discuss your situation for more change resilience and QA tips, drop me a line or a question on LinkedIn or in the comments below.