Description
The first step in tackling any adaptive challenge is to take a step back so you can see how your organizational system is responding to it. From this perspective, you will gain a clearer view of your company's structures, culture, and default responses to problems. You will grasp the nature of the adaptive challenges at hand, and map the networks of political relationships that will be relevant to how effectively you mobilize people to deal with that challenge. This chapter outlines the distinguishing characteristics of an adaptive organization and walks you through the process of assessing your enterprise's overall capacity for adaptation. This chapter was originally published as chapter 4 of "The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World."