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Adaptive Capacity
Measuring adaptive capacity without a survey
Self-report tells you how people feel about change. Behaviour tells you what they can actually do with it.
YOULAB · Jan 27, 2025 · Working paper
Most adaptive-capacity instruments ask people to rate themselves. The results correlate well with optimism and poorly with behaviour.
We propose four observable signals instead: speed of surfacing bad news, rate of reversible decisions, breadth of who gets consulted, and recovery time after a setback.
None of these require a new tool. They require someone paying attention to what an organisation already does and writing it down honestly.
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Adaptive Capacity