Last updated July 18, 2024
Adaptability (which involves the ability to cope with change) is a skill that is increasingly important in business these days. Changes can take place very fast in the workplace and for this reason, it can be worth providing employees training in this area. With this in mind, here are 10 free adaptability activities for adults that you might find useful.
Adaptability Activities for Coping with Change
1. Diversity of Perspectives
Purpose: This is one of the best activities to teach adaptability as it helps you see issues from different perspectives.
Being able to see a situation from multiple perspectives is crucial in coping with change, as it helps you see the positive aspects of a new situation, which you might otherwise overlook. In addition, it can foster empathy towards other people.
Instructions: Write some short scenarios that describe a problem an organization might experience.
For example, a possible scenario might describe a company that has seen the morale of its employees decline in the last year, and this has led to lower rates of productivity and higher rates of absenteeism. The company’s managers need to find a solution to boost morale.
Start by asking participants to work in small groups and assign one scenario per group.
Then, ask each group to find two or three solutions for their problem and highlight first the cons and then the pros of each solution from the points of view of different stakeholders (e.g., managers, team members, customers, etc.).
For example, a solution for the morale boost problem scenario might be to provide staff with professional development opportunities.
The cons, for the managers, might be that allocating time for training may potentially disrupt daily operations and, for some employees, training might be seen as yet another demand on their already busy schedules.
The pros, for the employees, might be that receiving training may enhance their skills and support their career growth and, for the managers, it may mean that they would benefit from a more skilled workforce.
Give each group time for their discussion and then ask each group to give a short presentation to explain their solutions and ideas to the rest of the class.
Equipment Needed:
- Markers
- Flipcharts
- Scenarios
Time: 45 minutes.
How to Run the Activity Online: You can run this activity online, using videoconferencing software with breakout rooms and a virtual whiteboard.
Possible Follow-Up Questions:
- How did focusing on the pros of each solution after considering the cons make you feel?
- How did considering the points of view of different stakeholders change your attitude?
- How might seeing the positives of change and considering different perspectives influence how you cope with change in real life?
2. What If… If Then
Purpose: This is one of those adaptability activities for employees that focuses on strategizing and planning.
Strategizing and planning are two key skills that enable us to cope better with change, as they help us be better prepared and develop contingency plans if something changes outside of our control.
Instructions: Prepare some scenarios or ask some questions about issues that might affect your participants at work, starting with “What if”.
For example, “What if the production budget was cut by 30%?”, “What if we need to relocate to smaller premises?” and so on.
Ask participants to work in groups and give one question or scenario to each group and ask them to come up with two or three alternative plans (the “If then”) part of the activity.
So, for example, if we need to relocate to smaller premises, then we might: “Take turns working from home” or “Organize different shifts”.
After each group has come up with a strategy, ask each group to present their ideas to the rest of the participants and have a discussion on the benefits of planning and strategizing for adaptability.
Equipment:
Time: 30 minutes.
Number of Participants: Between 4 and 12
Teaching This Activity Remotely: Use software such as Zoom or MS Teams.
Possible Follow-Up Questions:
- What was the hardest thing for you about thinking of a contingency plan?
- How can the ability to plan and strategise affect your ability to cope with unexpected change?
3. Change It Up
Purpose: This is one of my favourite adaptability activities for adults to get them to think out of the box and see the opportunities that change can present.
This activity should help participants overcome their fear of change as they should start to see it in a more positive light.
Instructions: For this activity, participants will work in small groups.
Ask each group to brainstorm a process or a routine they do at work that they could improve or change and then think about how they could change this process for the better.
Next, have one person from each group read out their group’s ideas to the rest of the class, and then start a discussion.
Equipment:
Time: 35 minutes
Number of Participants: Any.
How to Use This Activity Remotely: If you are teaching this activity online, you can run it in the same way, using Zoom or MS Teams.
Possible Follow-Up Questions:
- What opportunities did you see that you did not think about before, as a result of this exercise?
- What challenges might you encounter to implement this change in real life?
4. Paradigm Shift
Purpose: This is one of the most effective adaptability activities for students and employees to encourage participants to challenge existing beliefs.
This exercise can also help participants understand the benefits of changing attitudes by considering different viewpoints.
Instructions: Ask participants to work in groups and ask each group to think of one belief that exists in their field or industry, which is usually taken for granted and seldom questioned.
Then ask each group to think of some arguments to question this belief. Even if they normally embrace this belief, ask them to pretend to be an outsider and start questioning it.
Allocate a set amount of time for this part of the activity and then ask each group to present their thoughts to the rest of the class.
Equipment: None.
Time: 45 minutes.
Number of Participants: Between 4 and 15.
How to Run This Activity Online: You can run this activity online using video conferencing software.
Possible Follow-Up Questions:
- How did challenging common assumptions affect your view of change?
- What did you learn about the importance of being open to new ideas?
- What was challenging about thinking of arguments to refute a commonly held belief?
>> See the Adaptability Skills Training Course Materials
5. Positive-Negative Story Chain
Purpose: This is one of the adaptability activities for adults that stimulates quick thinking and is also fun to do.
Being able to think quickly can help participants be more flexible and react proactively to sudden changes.
Instructions: Get participants to sit in a circular sitting plan.
Start a story with a sentence such as “I went to the beach one day…” and ask one person to add a sentence that tells something negative, for example, “The weather was cold and windy”.
Then, ask the person next to them to add a positive sentence, such as “But then, I saw the most beautiful rainbow ever”.
Continue by asking each participant in the circle to add a sentence to the story alternating one negative and one positive sentence.
Allow each participant to contribute at least once and finish the game preferably with a positive statement.
End with a discussion about the emotional impact of changes and the importance of a positive mindset to cope with change.
Equipment: None.
Time: 20 minutes.
Number of Participants: At least 4.
How to Use the Activity for Online Teaching: You can run the activity online in the same way as you would in person.
The only difference would be that you would need to find a system for participants to take turns since they cannot physically sit in a circle.
Possible Follow-Up Questions:
- What was the hardest thing about following a negative statement with a positive one?
- How could being able to think on your feet help you deal with sudden and unexpected changes in plans at work?
6. Positives of Change
Purpose: This is one of those adaptability activities that encourages participants to see the positive aspects of changes by reframing the event and changing their attitude.
This exercise can also help participants manage the stress caused by change by planning and focusing on the positives.
Instructions: For this activity, ask participants to think of a change that is about to happen, which they fear.
Participants can work in small groups if you want them to think about a change at work that will affect their team.
Alternatively, if you want them to think of something that will affect them individually, they can start working on their own and then pair up and share their thoughts with another person.
Once they have identified a change, ask participants to think about the negative consequences they fear might happen as a result of this change and write them down as a list.
Then, ask them to write, next to each negative thing that they fear, a strategy they could adopt to counteract the negative event.
Finally, ask the participants to write a list of potential benefits they might reap, as a result of the change.
Equipment: Pens and paper.
Time: 30 minutes.
Number of Participants: 6 to 18.
Using This Activity for Online Training: Use MS Teams, Zoom or a similar online conferencing software.
Possible Follow-Up Questions:
- How did reframing your fears affect your attitude to change?
- How could creating plans to confront possible negative consequences of change help you cope with it?
- How did it feel to shift your focus from the potential negative effects of change to the potential benefits that you might reap?
7. Transforming Words
Purpose: This is one of those coping with change activities for adults that help your participants reframe their self-talk from one that is negative and fearful of change into one that is more positive.
This adaptability exercise can help people manage the stress caused by change.
Instructions: Compile a list of negative statements related to change such as “This will never work”, “I am not ready for this” or “This change will only create more problems”.
Have participants work in pairs to convert each of these statements into positive ones.
For example, the negative statements I have listed earlier can be changed into “Let’s think about how we can make this work”, “I can prepare for this change and deal with it one step at a time” and “This change could lead to improvements”.
Give pairs time to write the positive statements and finish the exercise with a whole class discussion so the participants can exchange ideas.
Equipment:
- A list of negative statements
- Pens and paper or markers and flipcharts
Time: 25 minutes.
Possible Follow-Up Questions:
- How did the negative statements make you feel about change?
- How did the positive statements you created modify your feelings towards change?
- Can you think of a situation in real life in which using positive thoughts can help you cope with change?
8. Unpredictable Journey
Purpose: This is one of my favourite flexibility and adaptability games for adults to encourage participants to think on their feet and be creative.
The game consists of a simulated journey where participants will experience situations they do not expect.
Instructions: Before the training session, create a scenario for a simulated journey with unexpected events or challenges.
The simulated journey can be something related to the workplace. For example, imagine that the team has to navigate the journey between the ideation of a new product and its launch.
Alternatively, you can create a fantasy scenario. For example, the scenario might ask the participants to imagine that they are explorers who have to find a golden egg in a magical forest, where they will encounter mystical creatures and other unexpected obstacles.
Create a map for the journey, with a series of checkpoints.
In the example of the quest for the golden egg, the layout with the checkpoints may be:
- Starting Point: The Village of Beginnings
- Checkpoint 1: The Whispering Woods
- Checkpoint 2: The Enchanted River
- Checkpoint 3: The Mysterious Cave
- Checkpoint 4: The High Tower
- Final Destination: The Hidden Grove
Divide the participants into groups of 4 and give each group the map with the checkpoints.
As the game progresses, you will act as the facilitator and introduce the unexpected events, which can be puzzles or riddles for the participants to solve.
For instance, at the starting point, explain that the village wizard gives the participants a cryptic map that they have to decipher to progress.
At checkpoint 1, the Whispering Woods, a magic plant gives the participants a riddle for them to solve and so on.
After the teams have completed the journey, discuss with all the participants how they handled the surprises and which strategies they adopted to solve the puzzles and overcome the challenges.
Equipment:
- Printed maps with checkpoints
- Props for the challenges (for example, printouts with puzzles, or building materials such as cardboard and sellotape if you ask participants to build something)
Time: 1 hour.
Number of Participants: Between 8 and 20.
How to Use This Activity for Online Teaching: You can use this game for online teaching by using a collaborative online platform (e.g., Zoom, or Microsoft Teams). You can prepare digital maps or visual outlines of the journey using tools like Google Slides, Miro, or Trello.
Example Follow-Up Questions:
- How did working as a team help you overcome those challenges?
- What parallels can you draw between a game like this and dealing with unexpected changes in real life?
9. Scenario Swap
Purpose: This is another excellent activity for employees and it works by exposing participants to different scenarios within the same activity.
This encourages adaptability, quick thinking and teamwork as participants collaborate.
Instructions: Prepare a set of scenarios that describe some changes that happen in the workplace.
For example, scenarios can include sudden budget cuts, leadership changes, team restructuring and the introduction of new tools or technologies.
Put participants into groups of 3 to 4 people and hand each group a scenario.
Ask each group to create a plan for how they would implement the change if they were the managers, e.g. which steps they would take, how they would communicate the change, which jobs they would assign to different people and so on.
Midway through the activity, when the teams have created most of the plan (but have not completed it yet) ask groups to swap scenarios.
So, each group will have to complete a plan started by another group and modify it to improve it.
After the activity is finished, have each group present the plan they brought to completion and have a whole class discussion.
Equipment:
- Markers
- Flipcharts
- Scenarios
Time: 45 minutes.
Number of Participants: Between 8 and 20.
How You Can Run This Activity if You Teach Online: Use virtual meetings software.
Possible Follow-Up Questions:
- What was challenging about modifying another group’s plan?
- What did you learn about collaborative problem-solving and adaptability?
- How can this exercise help you prepare for real-life workplace changes?
10. Change Plans
Purpose: This is one of the adaptability activities for adults that requires participants to change strategy mid-way through the activity.
This activity encourages adaptability by requiring participants to strategize and create new plans with little warning.
Instructions: For this activity, split participants into small groups and give each group a task to complete (it can be the same task for every group or different tasks).
For example, you may ask them to imagine they have to design an ad for a chocolate bar for children. Alternatively, you can give them a hands-on task, such as creating a toy boat using wooden sticks and glue.
Then, halfway through the task, change the specifications. For example, the ad will now be for a bar of chocolate for adults instead of children, or they may have to build a windmill instead of a boat.
As the specifications for the task change, the teams will have to think fast and work together to adapt their object or design to the new specifications.
Once the tasks are completed, ask each group to show their solution to the class and explain how they adapted to new instructions.
Equipment:
- Materials for the task
- Flip charts
Time: 45 minutes.
Number of Participants: Between 4 and 20
Teaching Online: You can use this activity to run online training sessions using a virtual conferencing platform.
Possible Follow-Up Questions:
- How did you work as a team to deal with the change?
- What strategies did you use to switch plans successfully?
Benefits of Adaptability Activities to Help Employees Deal with Change
You can use these free activities for adults to train employees during workshops or team-building events to help employees be more adaptable and resilient when faced with changes.
Used for staff development, adaptability activities can also facilitate other important skills such as:
- Problem-solving– especially the activities that include unexpected challenges.
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Emotional resilience
- Innovation and creativity
- Passion for continuous learning
- Empathy and open-mindedness
Owner at Symonds Research Training Materials
Valeria has a PhD in Sociology, has 25 years+ working in education, has taught at the University of Bath &Cardiff Metropolitan University, & Hankuk University (Korea) & worked as a researcher for Exeter University, & has many years of industry experience including with Cardiff University in management roles. She now creates training course materials courseware.