Adaptability in Business

Adaptability is vital. It has been an essential force for survival since ancient times and has allowed people to thrive in all kinds of environments.

Through adaptability and smart thinking, humankind has survived in areas of extreme heat and cold, including the desert and the Arctic.

Adaptability
Through scientific and technological innovation, we have been into space and even landed on the moon! At Vectair Systems, we know that adaptability in business is vital for survival as much as it is for, well, survival of us, so we thought we’d celebrate adaptability by looking at a range of its uses – not forgetting what we can learn and apply in business and the aircare and hygiene industry.

Sport
Ah, sport. One of the best topics for heated conversation at home, at work or when out with friends, we don’t often consider the role adaptability plays in sport and how it is change that makes it interesting. Within the rules of a given sport, players have to adapt their strategy to their best advantage – as the ‘king of tennis’ Roger Federer, has shown through changing his tennis racket to a larger ‘head’ in the last 12 months in order to keep pace with the bigger hitters, such as Nadal and Djokovic.

He was 6th in the world at the end of last year after a frustrating year with a persistent back injury and the reluctance to change his ways. Now, in October 2014, after a very strong year and at the age of 33, he has the opportunity, at Number 2 in the world, to become the oldest World Number 1 at the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena in London from the 9th-16th November.

Sport requires a player (and team) to know their enemy – and to find the best way to beat them. Federer has worked that out consistently over the years, more than anybody.

What we can learn: Know your challenger and use strategy for the best outcome. In terms of hygiene, this can mean understanding how bacteria is formed in order to kill germs with the correct product.

The Wheel
Along with the accompanying axle, the wheel is part of one of the six simple machines which have revolutionised the life of human beings. Since their earliest incarnation as a ‘slice’ of a tree stump, wheels have come a long way. They have been used for chariots, carts, bicycles, trains, cars and motorised vehicles of all sizes. In addition to roles in transportation, they are used for steering cars and ships and for applications within the machinery of various kinds.

Promises of hover cars have long abounded but it seems as though our day to day reliance on the ever-adaptable wheel will remain for some time to come. Materials may have changed and technologies refined and perfected, but the basic wheel concept remains the same.

What we can learn: Simple design is often the most functional and adaptable. Items of technology do not have to be complex. In our products we don’t want to reinvent the proverbial wheel – we know what works and what doesn’t in aircare and hygiene – but we do want to create sleek, user-friendly items which integrate new technologies for improved environmental and health credentials.

Red Foxes
Sounds weird to be specific, but red foxes are ones of the best examples of the adaptability of our furry (and feathered/scaled) friends. Just as many seagulls never see the sea (they hatch and live out their lives inland, eating from rubbish tips and finding sandwich crusts on school playing fields), many foxes do not experience the pleasant delights of our countryside.

Instead, they are born and raised in towns and cities. These urban foxes are using their age-old skills (think cunning and creative thinking) to not only survive, but thrive in even the busiest areas, hunting down discarded kebabs and rummaging through bins. They eat the bread left for the birds – and the birds, if they can catch them.

The ability to adapt has seen red foxes become the most widespread wild carnivore (well, it’s really an omnivore, but it’s part of the Carnivora order) in the world, partly down to their introduction to countries such as Australia.

What we can learn: Existing tactics can be modified to meet new challenges in new environments. We think that using multi-phasing fragrance technology in our new V-Air® SOLID Passive Air Freshener Dispenser, in order to prevent the common issue of fragrance fatigue, counts…

Image source: The Federer Technique