Adaptability and Decision Making Under Stress in the Workplace

Abstract

The following research focuses on the relationship between individual adaptability and performance while taking into account the potential mediating effects of perceptions of decision making under stress. The effects of time (experience) were also included in the experiment. Participants for this study consisted of individuals in a flight operations center simulator. Participants work together in a team to resolve issues and make decisions in order to effectively operate the virtual airlines. As participants’ individual adaptability increased, their perceptions of ability to make decisions while under stress also increased. A significant interaction was found between decision making under stress and time when predicting individual performance, as well as individual adaptability and time when predicting individual performance. These relationships were stronger at time 2 than at time 1. When testing the model in its entirety, results indicated that time significantly interacts with participants’ individual adaptability and perceptions of decision making under stress to predict performance. Future research should explore other factors that may interact with or moderate the relationship between individual adaptability and performance as well as perceptions of decision making under stress and performance. Future studies should also continue to consider the variable of time or experience and the effect it has on these relationships.