Question: Why HR Leaders Need to Cultivate Their Adaptive Capacity

It goes without saying that HR professionals are no strangers to change. Dealing with the unexpected, responding to crises, and managing the human side of business fluctuations are central to any HR leader’s role in a company. But 2020 has brought an unprecedented series of challenges, from the COVID-19 pandemic to civil unrest to widespread economic distress.

Addressing the HR needs of your organization in the midst of a fluid and rapidly evolving dynamic requires rapid reassessment and frequent course corrections on almost a daily basis. It requires adaptive capacity.

What Is Adaptive Capacity?

Adaptive capacity refers to a leader’s ability to respond with purposeful, positive regard to an unexpected shock or challenge, such as the pandemic. It’s grounded in an attitude rather than an action plan.

To be clear, “purposeful positive regard” doesn’t mean minimizing the challenge or slapping a happy face on a painful situation. Rather, it is about self-efficacy—recognition that says, “While I may not have created this problem, where it goes from here is up to me!”  This belief in one’s ability involves three aspects:

  • Resilience: absorbing/withstanding the initial impact in a positive fashion

  • Response: adjusting to the change by mitigating damage and restoring stability

  • Resolve: identifying and seizing opportunities presented by the new dynamic

By intentionally cultivating their adaptive capacity, HR leaders tap into the creativity and innovation of their teams, positioning their entire workforce, their organizations, and themselves to not just survive but also thrive in the next normal.

Risk Factors that Drain Our Adaptive Capacity

Creativity and adaptation require energy, and the physical and emotional drain can impair an HR leader’s adaptive capacity. There are four types of fatigue to watch out for in the current environment:

Compassion fatigue: The stress, strain, anger, and grief experienced by so many people during recent months often fall squarely on the shoulders of an emotionally intelligent HR executive. Engaged leaders know when their teams are hurting, and many tend to take it personally when the pain has no easy or immediate answer.

Add to that the fact that they are people, too—many have friends, neighbors, and loved ones who contracted the virus, and many have not recovered. Balancing their personal and professional needs is no easy task.

Decision fatigue: The unexpected and unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic has required HR professionals to make a host of decisions, personally and professionally, in response to the ongoing crisis. While solving problems and generating solutions can be fulfilling, it can become wearying when each day brings a new set of problems and yesterday’s solutions no longer apply.

Zoom fatigue: While it may seem minor, many leaders report that virtual meetings, while a valuable and necessary adaptation, are physically and emotionally draining in ways that traditional face-to-face meetings are not. It takes more energy and focus to truly engage and connect at a meaningful level.

Many effective leaders are often “people persons” and are energized by the human contact and creative energy generated by being in the physical presence of their talented teams. And now, for many, work is being done in isolation, and we miss our “work family.”

Cumulative fatigue: Simply put, it’s the above-mentioned types of fatigue (along with others) stacked on top of each other that lead us to cumulative fatigue. It’s easy to miss—or dismiss—in ourselves. The unprecedented size, scope, and duration of this pandemic are draining to us all, regardless of role, and it can be difficult to maintain one’s own morale, much less that of those who look to you for leadership...

Source: HR Daily Advisor