The Adaptation Advantage - by Heather E McGowan & Chris Shipley (Paperback)

About the Book

"Three profound and fast-moving changes are disrupting work and society, and in the process stripping us of our comfortable work-centric identities. First, our mental models of employment and education are still based on institutions developed in the early twentieth century, as work first moved from farm to factory and then to factory to office. But they no longer work in an economy that is constantly changing. As a result, our current work identities are, in many cases, stifling our ability to adapt to new and technology-driven opportunities. Second, long-held cultural norms have collapsed. Family and sexuality norms are changing, and American demographics are changing. Third, Digitization is deconstructing the old economy. As a result of these forces, stress at work is at an all-time high. Gallup reports 70% of workers are disengaged. As people read predictions about the future of work, they become fearful that they will become irrelevant and unemployable in the new world. This book offers a refreshing, empowering take on the need for, and power of, humans in the future of work. It explains the necessity of creating a culture of continuous learning, and rethinking talent management, to create a passionate, engaged workforce. The new job of leaders is helping people adapt to change and this book explains how. The solution is to create new systems that detach identity from work and connect it to purpose--This purpose, then, becomes the motivation, and self-generating fuel for learning, work, deeper engagement, and new forms of empowering identity"--

Book Synopsis

A guide for individuals and organizations navigating the complex and ambiguous Future of Work

Foreword by New York Times columnist and best-selling author Thomas L. Friedman

Technology is changing work as we know it. Cultural norms are undergoing tectonic shifts. A global pandemic proves that we are inextricably connected whether we choose to be or not. So much change, so quickly, is disorienting. It's undermining our sense of identity and challenging our ability to adapt. But where so many see these changes as threatening, Heather McGowan and Chris Shipley see the opportunity to open the flood gates of human potential--if we can change the way we think about work and leadership. They have dedicated the last 5 years to understanding how technical, business, and cultural shifts affecting the workplace have brought us to this crossroads, The result is a powerful and practical guide to the future of work for leaders and employees. The future can be better, but only if we let go of our attachment to our traditional (and disappearing) ideas about careers, and what a "good job" looks like.

Blending wisdom from interviews with hundreds of executives, The Adaptation Advantage explains the profound changes happening in the world of work and posits the solution: new ways to think about careers that detach our sense of pride and personal identity from our job title, and connect it to our sense of purpose. Activating purpose, the authors suggest, will inherently motivate learning, engagement, empowerment, and lead to new forms of pride and identity throughout the workforce. Only when we let go of our rigid career identities can we embrace and appreciate the joys of learning and adapting to new realities--and help our organizations do the same.

Of course, making this transition is hard. It requires leaders who can attract and motivate cognitively diverse teams fueled by a strong sense of purpose in an environment of psychological safety--despite fierce competition and external pressures. Adapting to the future of work has always called for strong leadership. Now, as a pandemic disrupts so many aspects of work, adapting is a leadership imperative. The Adaptation Advantage is an essential guide to help leaders meet that challenge.

From the Back Cover

Praise for the adaptation advantage

"An indispensable guide to navigate this new era in the workplace."
--Thomas L. Friedman, The New York Times

"The Adaptation Advantage is a masterclass in how individuals and organizations can and must develop the capacity to change fast and learn faster. Whether you were born digital or born analog, this book is your indispensable resource for thriving in a world that is transforming as you read this."
--Jim Kouzes, coauthor of The Leadership Challenge

Learn to thrive in the Future of Work

What do you do? That social ice breaker imprisons us in the past. In a fast-changing world, we have to look past our work-based identity, move beyond the comfort of our current knowledge and skills, and prepare ourselves and the organizations we lead to adapt continuously to a rapidly changing future of work.

Heather E. McGowan and Chris Shipley share three core beliefs. First, success in the future of work centers on our ability to learn, unlearn, and adapt. Second, to succeed, we need to let go of "the way we've always done it" and--more importantly--our professional identities. Third, leaders must get comfortable with failure, not knowing, ambiguity, and vulnerability to create the requisite psychological safety to lead our teams.

Economic and social shifts are unavoidable. With the lessons found in The Adaptation Advantage, you'll learn to ride these waves to a more successful and fulfilling future of your work.

About the Author

HEATHER E. MCGOWAN (www.heathermcgowan.com) is an in-demand, internationally known speaker and Future of Work Strategist. She assists corporate clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies in rethinking their business models, teams, and organizational structures to become resilient in changing markets.

CHRIS SHIPLEY (www.cshipley.com) spent thirty years entrenched in the technology industry as a journalist and technology analyst, observing and predicting business and social transformations brought about by digital innovation. She advises companies on positioning, business modeling, and innovation practices, and serves on the boards of several startups and advisory panels.