This paper is his [Carl Sussman's] effort to define
adaptive capacity and to construct a framework for thinking about organizational effectiveness that reflects
ascendant management and organizational development theories and paradigms that emphasize change, complexity, and
systems thinking.
p.1 adaptive capacity is a critical dimension in our growing understanding
of organizational performance.
p.2 “Capacity” is simply the ability to do things...
building capacity is an ongoing process: There is no final destination.
p.3 Organizations that possess adaptive capacity are very
focused on and responsive to what is happening outside their organizational boundaries. They consciously interact
with their environments which, in turn, provide information-rich feedback, stimulate learning, and ultimately prompt
improved performance.
p.8 Being adaptive requires a very developed awareness of how interdependent
the organization is with its environment.
p.10 Complexity is the unpredictable state caused by a large
number of interacting elements.
p.11 effective organizations are those that develop "the capacity
to co-evolve in an ecological sense with their external environments through mutual interaction, internal adaptability,
and rapid response."
p.12 evidence of adaptive capacity: The skill to take the initiative in
making adjustments for improved performance, relevance and impact... adaptive capacity includes the ability to generate
or initiate change--challenging the organization's external circumstances.
p.12 the following four qualities capture the essence of adaptive
organizations:
- external focus,
- network connectedness,
- inquisitiveness, and
- innovation.
p.13 adaptive organizations push themselves to be connected and engaged, and
they resist impulses to become isolated and insular.
p.16 Knowledge management practitioners distinguish between raw data,
information, which has acquired some meaning through analysis, and knowledge, which is substantial enough to
inform action.
p.16-17 The term adaptive capacity refers to an organization’s
ability to change:
