Change is hard, and often it is totally out of your control. In the workplace, you will need to be ready for anything. This is especially important early in your work placement. You will still be getting used to working and to your workplace’s culture. This means you need to be adaptable. To be adaptable is to be able to respond appropriately to shifting demands and situations.

Your personal approach to adaptability will guide how well you react and adjust when you confront change. This means that how you think shapes how you act. Your adaptability is hindered when your thinking is rigid. Approaching situations with rigidity speaks to a fixed mindset and can resemble an unwillingness to acknowledge the ideas and suggestions of others.

Compare these two ways of thinking.

Don’t forget to be positive!

When a situational shift is happening, approaching the situation with positivity can adjust your outlook to create optimistic responses towards new outcomes. Setting a positive mindset and attitude is not always easy, especially during times of adversity. It requires mindful effort, attention, and a willingness to learn. Developing a new skill takes practice. Journaling and reflective practices are great ways for you to track your goals and improvements. Remember that to cultivate positivity, you need to come from a place of curiosity, seek to understand your emotions, and be open to the ideas of others.

Strategies for Flexibility

Adapting to change can be difficult. If you find yourself resisting, this is normal and common. Preparing for adaptability can often be the best mechanism to eliminate the element of surprise. Greek philosopher Heraclitus said that “change is the only constant in life” (King, 2019). If you want to evaluate how you adapt to change, there are three elements of adaptability that can be practiced: cognitive flexibility, emotional flexibility, and dispositional flexibility (Calarco & Gurvis, 2006).

• Cognitive flexibility for adaptability is to be nimble in your thinking and to anticipate multiple ideas and scenarios to shift and change for the best outcomes (Calarco & Gurvis, 2006). This approach speaks to seeing opportunity where there is challenge and coming from a place of curiosity and inquiry.
• Emotional flexibility for adaptability is to understand, be attentive, and be flexible with your emotions and those of others (Calarco & Gurvis, 2006). This approach speaks to empathy and the ability to put yourself in others’ shoes to understand their perspective.
• Dispositional flexibility for adaptability is to maintain a positive outlook and attitude (Calarco & Gurvis, 2006). This approach requires humility and the ability to be genuine, open, and honest in your interactions.