#HRmust-know: Adaptive Organization - From Concept to Life

Companies’ CEOs face unprecedented technology advances, greater competitiveness, changing government legislation, and more globalization — change is a constant. Fortunately, despite these obstacles, leaders have the ability to encourage greater adaptation in organizations. According to Forrester in research called “Adaptive Enterprises Are Growing Three Times Faster Than Their Competitors”, organizations with adaptive ability are proven to grow 3.2 times the averages of their industries. But how can you create an adaptive organization? The information below can provide you with more in-depth answers. 

The key characteristics of adaptive organizations
An adaptive organization is one that can successfully respond to unexpected and abrupt changes in its environment. This kind of organization is adaptable and capable of rapid progress. The adaptive organization prefers to give its employees independence and autonomy in decision making. At the same time, employees must also network and cooperate efficiently with other parties in order to obtain relevant and vital information, as well as useful views and insights. KPMG and Joni Daniels, an expert in personal and professional development, have shared some prominent characteristics of adaptive organizations:

Purpose-drivenness

As adaptive organizations focus attention across all levels on a single goal, with a focus on delivering value to consumers and the wider community of stakeholders, all individuals within an organization are dedicated, highly driven and result-oriented.  

Distributed decision-making yet cohesive team structures

Adaptive organizations eliminate unnecessary hierarchies and delegate governance and decision-making authority to all employees. When each employee is granted flexibility in operations, it will foster the possibility of change, driving the organization moving forward. Although they have autonomy in decision making, employees also need to learn how to work together so that the streamline of work continues and the common goals will be achieved.
 

The capacity to capitalize on opportunities

Adaptive organizations would constantly study and forecast changes in their market in order to propel commercial progress. As changes take place all the time, innovations and improvements should be favored. Once the opportunity is recognized, the organization needs to take the opportunity seriously and invest in the execution to turn the opportunity into real results. 

Ongoing efforts to transform the culture of your organization

Transforming a culture is not a one-time event but rather an ongoing effort. However, as the company’s corporate culture instills values in every single sector of the company, it is necessary to have the ‘stamina’ characteristic in the process of transforming the company’s culture.

To summarize, you should seek and demand flexibility to make your business an adaptive organization. Talentnet, Vietnam’s top human resources consultancy with 13 years of experience in aiding business growth, can support your company in adapting to changes both within and outside of the organization more rapidly. Please contact us for more information.