It is no surprise why there is resurgence in research on adaptation – we engage in work environments characterized by change. However, do we, as researchers and practitioners in organizational science, truly understand how individuals deal with these changes? In other words, do we understand how individuals adapt? For the last several decades, it appears the answer would be: not sufficiently. This research endeavor was developed to push the boundaries of the adaptation literature by theorizing a dynamic process of adaptation, examining the embedded cognitive and motivational self-regulatory mechanisms, and specifying the first and second order dynamics involved (i.e., trajectory and relationship changes). Through empirically examining both the post-change adaptation process and subsequent routine performance process, the findings reveal that these two processes are distinct. Two types of adaptive changes were investigated, and the results show similar trajectories and relationships across these change types, providing initial evidence of the generalizability of the adaptation process. Furthermore, the patterns of the cognitive and motivational cycles presented an interesting picture of the inner workings of the adaptation process in correcting performance decreases after a change. Through using discontinuous growth curve analyses, and a partially crossed, partially time-varying, cross-lag panel regression model, a clear distinction was evident in the utility of these dynamic techniques. Although the more standard trajectory analyses offered a straightforward picture of how variables increase or decrease over time, the more sophisticated cross-lag analysis provided a unique perspective, as that model accounts for many sources of variance in the estimation of relationships. This research provides a first step into what could be a very fruitful path investigating the dynamics of the adaptation process.
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