As individuals find their jobs being eliminated and find themselves seeking new jobs, the need to be flexible has become more important than ever. Upon securing new positions, these individuals’ ability to readily adapt to rapid changes and other problems on the job will be equally important.

While a full time position or obtaining a certain salary may be your goal, being open-minded when it comes to exploring employment opportunities is often necessary particularly during these turbulent times. Being open to a temporary position or a part-time position obviously helps to pay the bills during the interim. Some staffing agencies even offer benefits to their temporary employees. And frequently, individuals have been able to negotiate a higher hourly wage than what they might make on a salary basis because the company is not responsible for insurance and benefits.

The subject of flexibility came about recently as I was talking with a friend whose partner had been laid off. This gentlemen’s former salary had been in the upper five figures. However, it had been over a year since he was downsized, and my friend was getting concerned because her guy was adamant that he wouldn’t accept a position for less than what he was used to making. The downside to his bravado was that the gentleman in question was getting anxious because he hadn’t seen any positions within that salary range since being laid off.

My own experience with flexibility came about when I was offered my current position which paid roughly $2500 less than my former position. Naturally I would have preferred having that money, which was non-negotiable by the way. Yet, I felt the opportunity to write, to research and develop custom business cases that contributed to the academic scholarship at Goizueta, was by far too good an opportunity to pass up. I also knew with the superior evaluations that I’d always received plus the merit increases that came with them, I’d soon catch up, and surpass that amount in no time, which has happened.

With increasing global competition, with shorter product life cycles, coupled with rapid technological changes, adaptability will continue to remain essential to keeping up with, and driving changes in today’s business environment. This is true for both non-profit organizations as well as for for-profit companies.

Long gone are the days where just wanting to “do good,” “have a positive impact” or “simply make a difference” valid reasons to want to work in a nonprofit organization. Limited resources, where employees are often required to do more with less, and often in shorter time frames, requires true commitment followed by a high degree of flexibility on both employees and management leadership. It also means being willing to learn and produce in new ways as an occasion dictates. This ability to adopt and change as needed is especially critical in positions that focus on project management, and where there is an implied need for flexibility as projects evolve and change. A culture of adaptability sets the stage for changes to be implemented.

So, how can employees and their organizations successfully adapt when all of the rules have changed? Recognizing new organizational problems as they arise is the first step. Granted, addressing the challenges created by the current economy frequently require managers to make a number of difficult changes. These changes range from reductions in force to company restructuring. Most people have a hard time dealing with change even when they knew that it is forthcoming. The result of these immediate changes – employees are left unprepared.

In order to understand, and adapt to these rapid changes:

1. Ask questions about changes with appropriate individuals.
2. Give new ideas/alternatives a chance.
3. Lastly, upgrade skills as necessary in order to be flexible, and remain a valuable asset.

Charles Darwin once remarked, “It is not the strongest species that survive, not the most intelligent, but is the one most adaptable to change.” Adaptability is essential to both employment opportunities as well as organizational longevity. Given the high potential for unforeseen crises, or the need to capture unforeseen opportunities, the more flexible individuals are the better they’ll be when it comes to employment opportunities, or staying one step ahead on the job.


Carol Gee

Carol Gee, M.A. has worked in education for 26 years in positions ranging from teaching to administration. Currently she is an editor and business writer at Goizueta Business School at Emory University. She is also the author of books, The Venus Chronicles and Diary of a ‘Flygirl’ Wannabe (Life Lessons of a Cool Girl in Training,) and a contributor to the baby boomer book, Age Smart-Discovering the Fountain of Youth at Midlife and Beyond. Carol is a recipient of the Center for Women’s 2009 Unsung Heroine Award for recognition of her dedication to issues that affect women at Emory or in the larger community.
www.venuschronicles.net
venuschronicles@aol.com