DEVELOPING ADAPTABLE AND EFFECTIVE LEADERS: A PRACTICAL APPROACH IN THE ERA OF UNCERTAINTY
Abstract
This paper aims to explore how adaptive leadership can be implemented in practice, based on practitioners’ viewpoints in particular organizational contexts across various industries and areas of activity. A qualitative research methodology was used, centred on in-depth interviews with representative leaders from different professional areas. The purpose of the empirical approach is to identify the relevance and efficiency of adaptation in the exercise of leadership, as well as to analyse how the traits of an adaptable leader are recognized, valued and put into practice in real work environments. The findings support the practical application of the analysed concepts and highlight the multiple benefits that adaptive leadership brings in increasing performance, team cohesion and organizational resilience. In addition, the study provides arguments for the idea of professional mobility: leaders who develop these capabilities can make easier transitions to other areas of activity, including emerging or less popular industries with high development potential. This identification of the intersection points between the characteristics of effective, authentic and adaptable leaders will be followed and highlighted, as a prerequisite for outlining common traits that can define the basis of a relevant and applicable leadership model.