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Adaptability

Work style · O*NET

Adaptability is one of O*NET's work styles — the personality tendencies people bring to a job that affect how well the work is done , grouped under Proactive and Growth Oriented. O*NET describes it as: "A tendency to be open to and comfortable with change, new experiences, or ideas at work." It is rated for 891 occupations and ranks moderate among work styles by how much it matters on average.

How it's measured

O*NET scores each occupation on this work style with a Work Styles Impact (WI) value — higher means the style matters more to doing the work well. The figures here are those occupation-level scores: a description of which jobs lean on this trait, not a judgment about pay, difficulty, or whether a job is "good," and not a claim about any individual worker.

Economy-wide average 1.25 Mean across all 891 rated occupations
Range across occupations -0.32–2.74 Lowest to highest occupation score (spread 3.06)
Impact vs. other styles 55th pct Where this style's average ranks among all O*NET work styles

Occupations where this style matters most

The occupations that score this work style strongest.

Occupation Impact
Emergency Management Directors 2.74
Chief Executives 2.69
Actors 2.60
Firefighters 2.60
Emergency Medicine Physicians 2.56
Critical Care Nurses 2.51
First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers 2.51
Paramedics 2.47
Business Continuity Planners 2.42
Emergency Medical Technicians 2.42
Travel Guides 2.42
Blockchain Engineers 2.38
Legislators 2.38
Choreographers 2.34
Computer Systems Engineers/Architects 2.34
Training and Development Managers 2.34
Bioinformatics Scientists 2.30
Computer and Information Research Scientists 2.30
Detectives and Criminal Investigators 2.30
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists 2.30
Information Technology Project Managers 2.30
Instructional Coordinators 2.30
Marketing Managers 2.30
Medical and Health Services Managers 2.30
Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners 2.30
Nanosystems Engineers 2.30
Nurse Practitioners 2.30
Pediatric Surgeons 2.30
Penetration Testers 2.30
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers 2.30
Producers and Directors 2.30
Public Relations Managers 2.30
Special Education Teachers, Preschool 2.30
Supply Chain Managers 2.30
Video Game Designers 2.30
Web and Digital Interface Designers 2.30
Acute Care Nurses 2.26
Art Directors 2.26
Automotive Engineers 2.26
Health Informatics Specialists 2.26
Music Therapists 2.26
News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists 2.26
Nurse Anesthetists 2.26
Search Marketing Strategists 2.26
Training and Development Specialists 2.26
Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers 2.25
Bioinformatics Technicians 2.25
Registered Nurses 2.25
Adapted Physical Education Specialists 2.21
Computer and Information Systems Managers 2.21
Epidemiologists 2.21
Fashion Designers 2.21
Healthcare Social Workers 2.21
Hospitalists 2.21
Occupational Therapists 2.21
Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten 2.21
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School 2.21
Air Traffic Controllers 2.17
Anesthesiologists 2.17
Clinical Nurse Specialists 2.17

Occupations where this style matters least

The occupations that score this work style weakest — where it is least central to the work.

Occupation Impact
Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons -0.32
Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers -0.28
Data Entry Keyers -0.27
Rock Splitters, Quarry -0.23
Foundry Mold and Coremakers -0.21
Roof Bolters, Mining -0.21
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers -0.20
Slaughterers and Meat Packers -0.20
Gambling Change Persons and Booth Cashiers -0.17
Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders -0.17
Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters -0.11
Tire Builders -0.10
Sewing Machine Operators -0.09
Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers -0.07
Tapers -0.07
Dishwashers -0.06
Floor Sanders and Finishers -0.06
Packers and Packagers, Hand -0.06
Stone Cutters and Carvers, Manufacturing -0.06
Machine Feeders and Offbearers -0.04
Sewers, Hand -0.04
Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials -0.03
Proofreaders and Copy Markers -0.01
Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping -0.01
Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers 0.00
Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders 0.00
Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products 0.01
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand 0.01
Pourers and Casters, Metal 0.01
Word Processors and Typists 0.01
Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service 0.03
Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers 0.03
Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment 0.05
Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons 0.05
Pile Driver Operators 0.05
Amusement and Recreation Attendants 0.06
Gem and Diamond Workers 0.06
Helpers--Roofers 0.06
Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall 0.08
Paperhangers 0.08
Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic 0.08
Tire Repairers and Changers 0.08
Billing and Posting Clerks 0.09
Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders 0.09
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 0.11
Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 0.11
Etchers and Engravers 0.11
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 0.11
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 0.11
Motion Picture Projectionists 0.11
Cutters and Trimmers, Hand 0.12
Log Graders and Scalers 0.12
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood 0.12
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 0.14
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers 0.14
Stonemasons 0.14
File Clerks 0.16
Hoist and Winch Operators 0.16
Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic 0.16
Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 0.16

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

  • O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Adaptability." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/work-styles/adaptability

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Adaptability. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/work-styles/adaptability

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-adaptability,
  title  = {Adaptability},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/work-styles/adaptability}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.