#HRmust-know: What Is An Adaptive Organization And Why Do You Need One?

Today’s world is changing at a quicker rate than ever before and so is business. Adaptability is becoming increasingly demanded for businesses to survive and thrive in this complex environment. Both the businesses and employees have to learn to operate with a new mindset of adopting new initiatives at every corner. And to start off, we must evaluate what steps we may take to allow businesses to become adaptive organizations. This article will take you through the main characteristics of adaptive organizations and the advantages of becoming more adaptive.

What are the main characteristics of an adaptive organization?
An adaptive organization should be identical to an agile company where a network of teams inside a people-centred culture drives the success of the business. Technologies will be the baseline that supports quick learning and decision-making cycles. Last but not least, everyone within the organization works towards a common goal that creates values for customers and communities.

According to Jemery Ward, a strategist of Cloudreach – a multi-cloud services company, an adaptive organization should have four characteristics as follows:

A network focused on collaboration – In an adaptive organization, a flat structure with an emphasis on transparency and cooperation is necessary. Autonomy within teams is encouraged, and everyone is fully aware of and accountable for their tasks.
 

Multifunctional personnel model – As the nature of work changes everyday, an organization must be able to create, change, and eliminate roles as needed. Human resources within a business should be equipped with adaptability and learning skills in order to meet the fast-changing demand of work. 

Rapid learning cycles – A culture of lifelong learning and on-the-job experiences is essential. This should help your business comprehend failure’s lessons and alter its mindset from simply optimizing to innovating. An open-minded and accepting culture will cultivate psychological safety, where individuals are challenged yet have the opportunity to speak out and/or learn from their mistakes.

Up-to-date technology system – Development in architectures and delivery techniques must evolve and improve to account for risks and opportunities of the most current available technologies. Everyone within the organization should be upskilled in terms of technology skills to effectively deliver results to the business.
 

So, what exactly are the advantages of Adaptive Organizations?

Change is always on the way

An adaptive organization is not taken aback by change. Instead, its leader has put in place processes and methods to adapt to issues as they emerge. With an adaptive organization, at least one backup plan is always easily available. 

Workplace mental health reaches higher levels

As adaptive organizations focus on inspiring individuals to succeed, the workplace culture will encourage employees to be mentally healthy and reach high levels of performance. In business, devotion, trust, motivation, relationships, attention, and social commitment are all vital.

Reward is also dealt with in an adaptive way

In an adaptive organization, employees will be rewarded based on their performance rather than on their pleasant professional relationships. It is not about measuring the number of hours or work performed in a day; it is about if this team member is capable of delivering the needed outcomes by the deadline. Furthermore, the incentives are not necessarily monetary. Incentives could be year-long fellowships that help with professional development, job swapping where employees have the opportunities to relocate to different offices in other countries, etc.

To summarize, companies may modify their structures and procedures to make their businesses run more smoothly and successfully. Talentnet, Vietnam’s leading human resources consulting firm with extensive experience in assisting businesses in overcoming obstacles and growing from within. Combined with a focus on sustainable human capital solutions, we will aid your business in becoming an adaptive organization by providing suitable workforce strategies tailored to fit with businesses of any sizes. If you require any further information, please contact us.