The psychology of adaptive performance

As a leader what can you measure easily; the KRA/KPI of your people or how they deal with any internal & external change? The obvious answer is the first one, because organizations are typically designed around it. From the beginning employees know what they are expected to do & achieve. Similarly, a leader also knows how he/she can measure their people’s progress based on the existing parameters. The reward & recognition system also revolves around it.

A successful leader knows that there are two kinds of performances that bring results to the organization. One is tactical performance; based on KRA/KPI and the other one is adaptive performance; based on people’s ability to thrive in the changing environment. If tactical performance is a person’s ability to execute the plan, then adaptive performance is a person’s or organization’s ability to diverge from the plan. They are opposites yet can co-exist together.

In the last two decades, across the globe it has been found that adaptive performance is the new answer to progress & prosperity. It does not anyway decrease the importance of tactical performance, which is all about productivity, deadlines, meeting expectations etc. They are routine activities and baseline for the organization. But in a dynamic environment, especially in a VUCA world, a leader needs to look for adaptive performance more.

Three questions to find & measure adaptive performance in your people?

Leadership is all about asking the right questions. Because it shows that you believe your people have the answers within; your job is to enable them to discover those answers. Here are certain questions which can help you to delve deep into your people’s psychology and measure their adaptive performance level.

1.?????? Can you give an example where you changed your approach to achieve your goals?

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The answer will let you know how flexible the person is in critical situations. How swiftly they understand the urgency of the situation, change their perspectives, readjust their strategies, reallocate their resources and achieve success.

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2.????? What new skills did you acquire in recent times and how did it help you?

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The answer will speak a volume about their learning agility & problem-solving skills according to the changing situations. It also talks about how vigilant your people are about the dynamic work environment & industry demands.

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3.????? Describe a recent failure you faced; what did you learn from it, what changes did you bring after that failure?

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The answer will talk about people’s resilience; how strong they can stand in front of failure, how readily they can bounce back from failure, how quickly they can change and become better.

How can you create a culture for adaptive performance?

1.?????? Share your failure stories more than the success. Encourage your people to do the same. It will inspire people to accept failure, learn lessons and become adaptable.

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2.????? Recognize & reward people for failure: Make it easy for people to share how they failed. Highlight their sense of ownership, interest to take initiatives, experiment and innovate in each of their failures.

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3.????? Create many opportunities for learning: Encourage people for continuous learning, training & knowledge sharing. Build a reward & recognition system around it as well.

As a leader remember the psychological principle in human behavior; “You receive; what you reward”. Because people repeat what they are rewarded for.

So, if adaptive performance is something you are looking for; then include it in your reward & recognition program too. Move beyond existing KRA/KPI; the tactical performance, create a culture of adaptive performance & make a difference.