Review "Adaptability throughout the life span is an increasingly important topic, tackled thoughtfully by the psychologists contributing to this interesting book." --Denise M Rousseau. Organizational and Public Policy. Carnegie Mellon University  "The chapters in this volume collectively provide a comprehensive review of the extant theory and research related to individual adaptability at work, particularly addressing important issues of construct definition, dimensionality, measurement, and relation to larger frameworks of both work performance and individual differences. Perhaps even more importantly, Chan and the chapter authors have clearly identified many of the unresolved and emerging research questions that will guide the next generation of theory development and empirical studies which will place adaptability at the center of scholarly understanding of effective individual, team, and organizational performance." --James L. Farr, Professor Emeritus of I-O Psychology, Pennsylvania State University "David Chan has edited the definitive volume on adaptation in the workplace. This superb book presents both the research findings of how people and organizations adapt to change and how those findings can be applied in the workplace. The book explores in depth theories of adaptation, as well as several approaches to the measurement of adaptation. People wanting to understand adaptation, as well as aid it in changing work environments, must read this excellent book. The work is particularly helpful in pointing to new research directions and methods for studying adaptation at work." –Ed Diener, Joseph R. Smiley Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Illinois, USA "The world of work is changing rapidly, and adaptability to change is becoming a key driver of success in the workplace. David Chan has assembled a distinguished team of authors to examine what adaptability means, how it can be measured, how it can be developed and what its implications are for both organizations and individual employees. This is a valuable work on an increasingly important topic" --Kevin Murphy, Colorado State University About the Author David Chan is currently Lee Kuan Yew Fellow, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Behavioural Sciences Institute at Singapore Management University, and Adjunct Principal Scientist at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore. He received his PhD in industrial and organizational psychology from Michigan State University, USA. David’s research includes areas in research methods and data analysis, personnel selection, adaptation to changes and subjective well-being. He is the author of a textbook, Personnel Selection, with Neal Schmitt from Sage (1998). He has served as Editor or board member on several journals. He has received numerous scholarly awards including the Distinguished Early Career Contributions Award and William Owens Scholarly Achievement Award from SIOP. David is a Fellow of APA, APS, SIOP and IAAP.
C**K
Academic yet accessible
Change in the workplace is a given. Many of us know people who thrive on it, and can name office-mates who are puzzled by it -- and those who are swept away by it. And exactly because there is such a glut of anecdotal knowledge, there is a need for a measured approach to this critical component of our adult lives.Although Individual Adaptability to Changes at Work is academic in tone and approach, this very depth and breadth make it a valuable resource for people who want a fuller understanding of the impact of change on their professional lives (and livelihoods).This volume’s approach of presenting quantitative academic research and writing from a number of voices and perspectives provides a useful, clear survey. Citations provide credibility as well as resources for readers who want to explore a subtopic in greater depth.Although this book is targeted at those in the HR and company-structure trenches and students planning to enter those fields, it also is a good starting point for the layperson seeking knowledge. Both sorts of readers will be well served by reading the book a chapter or two at a time and revisiting the sections most relevant to them. For this reason, I suggest that students buy the electronic edition rather than renting it. Individual Adaptability to Changes at Work
K**R
Change is Inevitable, Adaptability is Required (An Academic Perspective)
As the title of my review suggests, change is inevitable especially in the world of business. It's econ 101; if a business wants to stay competitive or ahead of the curve it has to adapt to changes in society (which are always on the move) and adopt new technology and practices to help foster a fast, efficient, and ultimately prosperous environment. Problem is that many companies lack the psychological know-how in creating an environment that helps the individual employees adapt to new changes fast enough to keep up with company goals. The company may lack proper training, structuring, incentive programs, or even proper equipment that creates an environment that may promote stagnation, lacking morale, or minimalism.Individual Adaptability to Changes at Work is a compilation of studies and articles by various experts in the field of psychology and HR to help explain different dynamics of individual adaptation to change and their views on the subjects. This is, clearly, an academic read as many casual HR personnel without an academic background will, probably, scratch their heads at the formatting and language. I am no expect but I have an MA in history so I'm familiar with the format and language and was able to follow along fairly well. If anything, this book is NOT for HR or upper-level management so much as setting up the framework for future studies in individual adaptation so it can be run through the scientific gauntlet of academic discourse and latter translated into laymen's speak for everyone else.For me, it was an interesting read that asserts some of what I've experienced working in retail and vending (two extremely competitive fields in terms of business v. business). This read is not for the feint of mind but if you're inclined to expand your mind and study the employee psyche, I'd recommend you read this text with an open mind and be ready to take it all in.
O**E
Current trends and emerging themes in individual adaptability research
In the 1980s and early 1990s, organizational researchers and practitioners, especially those in personnel selection, began to emphasize the importance of individual adaptability to rapid changes at work. Data were collected seeking good predictors of job performance, but those data collection efforts were limited by the lack of a cohesive theoretical framework.The articles in this edited collection represent the efforts of various researchers to fill this void. They give a snapshot of the current state of theorizing about adaptability, what constructs have been put forward, how far along are the efforts to assess the internal and external validity of those constructs, what new research frontiers are beckoning, etc.To get the most out of this collection of theory-heavy but readable articles, readers should have not only an interest in and basic knowledge of organizational psychology, but also some basic understanding of the meaning and importance of the internal and external validity of psychometric tests and how researchers go about obtaining these measures, etc.All of the articles in this collection are well written and quite readable. A few tend to employ fancy terms and jargons, but they all have something interesting to impart, and are worth a read.
Z**N
A solid academic undertaking into individual adaptability
While I am a mere layman, my wife has a doctorate in IO Psychology, and with six-page citations at the end of each chapter, this book is clearly intended for an academic (or at least, highly and specifically educated) audience. There are ten chapters (split among three parts) written by a number of professors, PhDs and PhD candidates in IO Psychology and related fields. Like most academic papers, each chapter starts with a brief abstract describing the chapter.For the IO geek (I use the term lovingly) this is a compelling read, says my wife. There has not been much research done on the topic of "individual adaptability" and this book manages to compile a number of angles on the topic into one volume rather than simply focusing on one researcher or theory, which makes it even more useful. Both the research and the writing styles here are engaging and enlightening. Citations are frequent and complete. While this is the type of book that could be used in a change management class (or something similar) it's also a book that those in the field will find both interesting and helpful.
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