Adaptability: Responding Effectively to Change

In today’s business world, the complexity and pace of change can be daunting. Adaptability has become recognized as a necessary skill for leaders to develop to be effective in this environment. Even so, leaders rarely know what they can do to become more adaptable and foster adaptability in others. This guidebook contributes to a greater understanding of adaptability and the cognitive, emotional, and dispositional flexibility it requires. Leaders will learn how to develop their adaptability and to become more effective for themselves, the people they lead, and their organizations.

This series of guidebooks draws on the practical knowledge that the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) has generated, since its inception in 1970, through its research and educational activity conducted in partnership with hundreds of thousands of managers and executives. Much of this knowledge is shared-in a way that is distinct from the typical university department, professional association, or consultancy. CCL is not simply a collection of individual experts, although the individual credentials of its staff are impressive; rather it is a community, with its members holding certain principles in common and working together to understand and generate practical responses to today's leadership and organizational challenges.
The purpose of the series is to provide managers with specific advice on how to complete a developmental task or solve a leadership challenge. In doing that, the series carries out CCL's mission to advance the understanding, practice, and development of leadership for the benefit of society worldwide.

Joan Gurvis is CCL’s Greensboro campus director. She manages the faculty and support functions of the campus as well as the adjunct faculty. She facilitates open enrollment and custom programs, does research, and is a certified feedback specialist. Joan holds a B.S.N. from Duke University and an M.S.N. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Allan Calarco is the group manager for all open-enrollment offerings at CCL’s Brussels campus. He serves as a faculty member in several open-enrollment and custom programs. He is a certified feedback specialist and executive coach. Allan holds a master’s degreein counseling from Shippensburg University.