In this new episode of the podcast “Le Quotient A” dedicated to Adaptability, we welcome Julien Ripaud, a facilitator of cooperative projects and founder of the company Sur la Planche (find his work at [https://www.sur-la-planche.com]).
Through his rich career path, we explore the intimate mechanisms that turn uncertainty into opportunity.
Julien offers us a valuable testimony, because he works precisely on building high-performing, adaptable collectives at the crossroads of the nonprofit world, private business, and local government.
Adapting, a condition for survival. Julien shares the triggers of his major adaptation: after ten years in a classic, pyramidal organization, the lack of alignment with his values generated a deep unease, acting as a true inner compass.
He reveals how emotions considered “negative,” like frustration or sadness, transformed into anger, which became a powerful engine of creativity and momentum.
This strategy of excellence, rooted in a strong sensitivity/hypersensitivity, is an invariant of his emotional dimension of the adaptation coefficient.
The two speeds of adaptability.
The Adaptation Coefficient assesses our ability to thrive amid uncertainty by measuring the capacity to effectively modify our behaviors, cognitions and emotions. Julien embodies the complexity of the Behavioral and Social coefficient by distinguishing two decision-making regimes.
Individually, his decisions are often fast and instinctive, guided by intuition and self-confidence.
Collectively, he favors slowness. As a mediator, he takes the time to consult and remove obstacles to ensure the alignment of all stakeholders.
He points out that adaptation can happen quickly at the operational level (the short timeframe) but requires slowing down on vision and governance (the long timeframe).
In his role as facilitator, he acts as an interpreter between actors from different cultures.
His relational adaptation lies in his ability to synchronize his language and posture to his audience (elected officials, technicians, activists) so that the message gets through and to build trust, which he considers a fundamental time-saver.
Enjoy this interview, which highlights the many facets of organizational and individual adaptability.