Here she … Given that we use cognitive function the entire time we are awake, it’s no surprise that it plays a critical role in our abilities at work. Cognitive flexibility is being able to flex a brain muscle and push the curtains aside and look out the window toward a more interesting conversation topic. Cognitive flexibility has been described as the mental ability to switch between thinking about two different concepts, and to think about multiple concepts simultaneously. Developing Cognitive Flexibility Skills. The more advanced a person is with their practice, the greater the cognitive flexibility seems to be. Or does your culture encourage employees to speak up and challenge the norm? In fact, REM-dreaming is associated with increased creativity and reasoning abilities. Someone who is cognitively flexible will be able to learn more quickly, solve problems more creatively, and adapt and respond to new situations more effectively, which is why it’s so important in both educational settings and the workplace. Cognitive flexibility is our ability to shift our thinking in the face of setbacks, mistakes or when new information comes to light. This is proven to increase the ability of the brain to switch tasks. Things like; altering your everyday routine, practicing creative thinking, when asked a question you don’t know the answer to – don’t head straight to google – find different ways to source the information, go out of your way to meet new people. Mental FlexibilityStroop Effect. Cognitive flexibility is strengthened when your brain has more neural pathways and connections. When working on group projects, it’s likely you will need to manage multiple clients, as well as your colleagues’ diverse ideas and ways of working. Here are six ways to improve your cognitive flexibility. Yes, that’s a mouthful, so let’s just call it the ACG. Think of it as developing techniques and methods of analysis. Share. Cite this entry as: (2011) Cognitive Flexibility. This work ability refers to our ability to disengage from one task and respond to another or think about multiple concepts at the same time. The easiest way to think of ‘ cognitive flexibility ’ is having good mental agility. Ada Innocent Workplace 2. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. A diet full of healthy fats or specific omega-3 supplements, found in fish oil, for example, may increase cognitive flexibility by reducing inflammation. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. 3) Switch up your everyday routine. Think differently. Neural pathways are like roads that connect two different areas of the brain. This demonstrates the quality of an event and that it meets CII member CPD scheme requirements. Our brains love certainty and therein lies a problem for modern businesses. If your team is stuck on a problem or faced with something involving complexity, deconstruct the issue – it’s easier to consume what action needs to be taken if you break it into smaller chunks. 10 Social Skills for Future Workplace Success. In addition, our findings extend management studies that have stressed the relevance of cognitive flexibility for responding to the demands of increasingly open, flexible, and rapidly changing organizations. Diet. Organisations that aren’t keeping up with the rate of change and innovation, compared to their competitors, will in time become obsolete. Copyright Davidson      Privacy Policy      Terms and Conditions. implement a strategy to develop cognitive flexibility in your day to day tasks. Share. Any type of game that keeps your brain challenged, whether online, board games or even word puzzles and ad libs, can help build neural pathways. So when we’re faced with something “uncertain” we often switch on a flight or fight response. Our findings shed light on the individual‐level mechanism behind organizational adaptation and complement recent work on strategic inertia. It keeps your brain stimulated, just like building a muscle at the gym. Pin. This is a Blog about jobs and careers in Asia for both Asian, ASEAN and International expatriates. Exercise. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. How often do you engage in routine tasks that are done that way “because that’s how it’s always been”? Beck promoted these therapies in the 1960s. A big thanks to Paula Holden for convening the AHRI forum and Chris Phillips from Grey Matta for presenting. Now the concept itself isn’t by any means new, but it is becoming more and more prominent in the workplace setting. Someone who is cognitively flexible will be able to learn more quickly, solve problems more creatively, and adapt and respond to new situations more effectively, which is why it’s so important in both educational settings … Although I like diversity, I was unable to find any appropriate SlideShare presentations … Travel is one of the best ways to do this. This work ability refers to our ability to disengage from one task and respond to another or think about multiple concepts at the same time. Here are 7 ways to improve your ability to be ‘cognitively flexible’: 1) Mindfulness meditation. Work and Cognitive Function. Coordinating with Others – Valuable Job Skill, Creativity – Career Development Skill Today, Emotional Intelligence – Important Resume Skill, Judgment and Decision-Making – Employment Skill, Service Orientation – Important Workplace Skill. Games. It also means being able to adapt how you communicate based on who you’re talking to. Cognitive flexibility refers to the ability to transition thoughts between multiple concepts or perspectives. explain the typical barriers to cognitive flexibility and how to overcome these. Being flexible in our approach to the future often requires the ability to inhibit or forget the past. Cognitive Flexibility – Important Employee Skill. Tweet. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. identify the importance of cognitive flexibility as a skill in the workplace. As organisations (and therefore employees) are faced with more consistent change how we are able to respond to change is often a determining factor of success. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Drawing on advice network generation theory, we hypothesized a positive relationship between cognitive flexibility and advice network centrality, and a moderation effect of self-monitoring on this relationship. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. I found more articles on cognitive flexibility skills than I expected. Job and Work Asia Blog for Expats. Cognitive flexibility involves creativity, logical reasoning, and problem sensitivity. Individuals with higher CF are more likely to be able to adapt quickly when plans changes, obstacles come up or new information is presented, and are often better problem solvers. Cognitive flexibility is the awareness of the fact that every problem or situation has a number of solutions or appropriate responses. Up-skilling your Cognitive flexibility in the workplace will teach you to challenge the way you think, and get comfortable with the discomfort of change. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. The ability to see the different ways of doing things and understanding when certain options are best displays cognitive flexibility. Individuals who are cognitively flexible will be able to learn more quickly, solve problems more creatively, and adapt and respond to new situations more effectively. We use cognitive flexibility daily, even if mostly on a micro level. Its primary applications have been literary comprehension, history, biology and medicine. Does this resonate with you? The psychological benefits of exercise are well known: boosted mood, energy and, most importantly, cognitive enhancement. It is a skill that the World Economic Forum has listed in the top ten skills that people will need if they are to thrive in the so-called 4th industrial revolution. Cognitive flexibility is crucial when it comes to creating a successful collaborative environment. Enhancing your own CF, and encouraging this within your team, can have material benefits to the organisation; higher productivity, less waste of resources, higher (and quicker) adoption of change initiatives to name a few. Developing cognitive flexibility in a generic manner is the start. Essentially, it is your ability to adapt when a situation changes. There are various standardized neuropsychological assessment tools for cognitive flexibility. Cognitive Flexibility Cognitive flexibility is part of executive functioning that updates goals and strategies to achieve them. Cognitive Flexibility – Important Employee Skill. This study examined the role of individuals’ cognitive flexibility and self-monitoring in shaping their workplace advice network centrality. Two subcategories of cognitive flexibility are task switching and cognitive shifting, depending on whether the change happens unconsciously or consciously, … If so, I would love to hear from you! Cook a new meal from scratch one night. At CogniFit provide some examples of how cognitive shifting can help in various life situations switch tasks having these mental... Activates several regions of your brain stimulated, just like building a muscle at the same time, it s. To improve your cognitive flexibility daily, even if mostly on a micro level AHRI forum and Chris from... 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