Adaptability is an imperative trait of an Agile leader. This brings along a set of opportunities but also increases the number of challenges a leader has to face. Adaptability is one’s ability to adjust in response to altered circumstances or changes in the surroundings. Within an organization, change can occur or be initiated in various directions: people, processes and products.
When it comes to people, adaptability is mandatory when it comes to managing a multicultural diverse workforce or when relocating, as a leader, in a foreign country, for example. The leaders are challenged not only to understand different cultures but also to build effective teams that overcome the multicultural barriers. The possibilities that emerge from this are numerous: diversity implies various perspectives, more ideas and implicitly, multiple solutions.
Also, in a high change environment, people tend to lose motivation and get stuck in what change means for their ego. A challenge for a leader is therefore to motivate people and help them in finding a way through their perceived losses. This triggers the possibility of building teams that adapt quicker to circumstances or have the right attitude about change.
When it comes to products, adaptability consists in creating ones that responds to a customer need. The challenges the leaders face in this direction may be related to building teams with the right skill set, motivate them and inspire them to be creative and innovative; this is even harder when time and financial boundaries exist. However, adaptability in this case will trigger possibilities such as: better relations with the customers and more opportunities for business growth and, nevertheless a higher engagement among employees.