This document discusses increasing adaptability through developing three skills: change awareness, cognitive flexibility, and focused attention. It defines adaptability quotient (AQ) as the capacity to adapt to and thrive in changing environments. The document provides strategies for strengthening each skill, such as asking probing questions to improve change awareness, thinking differently to boost cognitive flexibility, and focusing on new situations to enhance attention. It encourages scanning the environment for unknowns, loosening constraints, and returning to zero to view things differently. The document was written by Sara Caldwell and Angela Dugan of 3Cloud Solutions and promotes their consulting services and resources including an AQ assessment test.

1. When it is time to change,
then it is time to change…
How to increase your adaptability.
Sara Caldwell & Angela Dugan

2. © 2021, 3Cloud, LLC., All Rights Reserved.
3
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

3. © 2021, 3Cloud, LLC., All Rights Reserved.
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4. 5
Look Who’s Talking
ADugan
@3cloudsolutions.com
Scaldwell
@3cloudsolutions.com
More info about 3Cloud at www.3cloudsolutions.com

5. 6
Questions

6. Menti - What does the word "change" mean to you?

7. Menti - How does change "feel" to you?

8. 9

9. Your
Environment
You
(beliefs, values)
Your
Behavior
Your
Environment
You
(beliefs, values)
Your
Behavior
You
(beliefs, values)
Your
Behavior
Your
Behavior
Your
Environment
You
(beliefs, values)
Your
Environment
Your
Behavior
Your
Environment
You
(beliefs, values)
Your
Behavior

10. 12

11. “There is nothing
permanent except
change.”
Heraclitus, c. 500 BC
Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis

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Solid Liquid Gas

13. 15
© Polaris LLC. All rights reserved. Disclosure is subject to the restriction on the title page of this document.
INTELLECTUAL QUOTIENT
Your reasoning ability and problem-
solving skills
EMOTIONAL QUOTIENT
The ability to understand, regulate,
and adjust your emotions
ADAPTABILITY QUOTIENT
Your capacity to adapt to and thrive in
an environment of change
IQ
EQ
AQ

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© Polaris LLC. All rights reserved. Disclosure is subject to the restriction on the title page of this document.

15. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

16. 18

17. SCAN FOR OPPORTUNITIES

18. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND
UTILIZE RESOURCES

19. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
PERSIST THROUGH CHANGE

20. Photo credit: https://www.glennawilliams.com
My AQ
is high

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Go to https://aqtest.polaris.llc to take the test

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Menti – Your AQ Score
Go to https://aqtest.polaris.llc to take the test

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Increase YOUR Adaptability Step 1
HOW TO BE BETTER AT ADAPTABLITY
Communicate with your
environment
Change
Awareness
Probing questions
- "what's the relationship there?"
- "what could happen if I did that differently?"
- "is that even still a valid assumption?"

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Increase YOUR Adaptability Step 2
HOW TO BE BETTER AT ADAPTABLITY
What’s the pattern of these numbers
1. 100, 200, 201
2. 400, 800, 801
3. 500, 1000, 1001
Consider new ideas, think
differently
How can you play "what if"
games? How can you loosen
constraints to explore more
possibilities?
Cognitive
Flexibility

25. 29
Increase YOUR Adaptability Step 3
HOW TO BE BETTER AT ADAPTABLITY
1. Name the days of the week in the order
they appear
2. Name the days of the week in
alphabetical order
Focus on new situations and
let go of old ones
How can you return to zero?
How do you unlearn to see
things differently? To behave
differently?
Focused
Attention

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Adaptability
HOW TO BE BETTER AT ADAPTABLITY
Communicate with your
environment
Break out of your bubble! Scan
your horizon for unknowns and
don’t ignore weak signals
Focus on new situations and
let go of old ones
How can you return to zero?
How do you unlearn to see
things differently? To behave
differently?
Consider new ideas, think
differently
How can you play "what if"
games? How can you loosen
constraints to explore more
possibilities?
Focused
Attention
Cognitive
Flexibility
Change
Awareness

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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

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Experiencing Change? Talk to us!
adugan
@3cloudsolutions.com
scaldwell
@3cloudsolutions.com
More info about 3Cloud at www.3cloudsolutions.com

29. Sara and Angela wrote a (little) Book of Agile Metrics!
The Little Book of Agile Metrics
In our FREE guide, learn how to use Agile
to transform the way your teams work.
• Know what common metrics are
actually telling you
• Learn how to interpret the changes
and trends in your agile metrics
• Discover new metrics you did not
even know you needed to be looking
at!
OR reach out directly at adugan@3cloudsolutions.com or scaldwell@3cloudsolutions.com

30. 3Cloud is Hiring
To get through the system quicker, email us with the
job you are interested in
adugan@3cloudsolutions.com
or scaldwell@3cloudsolutions.com

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• Bateman, T., & Crant, J. (1993). The proactive component of
organizational behavior: A measure and correlates. Journal of
Organizational Behavior, 14, 103-118.
• Bandura, A (1986). Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social
Cognitive Theory, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliff, N.J.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignaz_Semmelweis
• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/idea-sterilizing-
surgical-instruments-only-150-years-old-180962498/
• Link to Proactive Personality Scale
assessment: https://aqtest.polaris.llc
Referenced Studies and Materials