Adaptive Effectiveness™
Research & Resources
Explore the research, ideas, and tools behind Adaptive Effectiveness™
Adaptive Effectiveness builds on research in emotion, judgment, leadership development, adaptability, and human decision-making. Explore our original work, the research informing it, and conversations about how leaders can remain effective when pressure rises.
Effectiveness™
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Adaptive Effectiveness™
Closing the Gap Between Leadership Development and Leadership Effectiveness Under Pressure
A concise introduction to the Leadership Knowing–Doing Gap, the Self-Effectiveness Theory of Emotion, and the four transformative skills that help leaders recognize what situations require and adapt accordingly.
Get the White Paper →Original Work
Original Theory & Frameworks
Explore the central ideas that make Adaptive Effectiveness a distinctive methodology for understanding behavior under pressure.
The Self-Effectiveness Theory of Emotion
Developed by Charles M. Jones, the Self-Effectiveness Theory of Emotion proposes that emotions are subconscious evaluations of our own effectiveness.
Negative emotions signal that we believe we're not on track to meet an important effectiveness need. Positive emotions signal that we believe we're on track.
The theory offers a fundamentally different explanation for why leaders derail under pressure: they may habitually misinterpret emotional signals as evaluations of what's wrong with situations, other people, or themselves.
Adaptive Effectiveness translates this theory into a practical methodology for accurately decoding emotions, testing beliefs, and adapting strategies.
Explore the theory →The Adaptive Effectiveness™ Emotion Decoder
An illustrative mapping of leadership-relevant emotions to the effectiveness needs they may signal.
Explore the decoder →The Leadership Knowing–Doing Gap
Why capable leaders can know what to do yet fail to apply those capabilities when pressure rises.
Explore the gap →Independent Research
Research Informing Adaptive Effectiveness
Adaptive Effectiveness draws on research concerning emotion, judgment, self-efficacy, adaptability, and behavioral change. These findings inform the methodology, while the Self-Effectiveness Theory of Emotion remains a distinct theoretical model developed by Charles M. Jones.
Emotion & Decision Making
Research establishing that emotion is pervasive in judgment and choice and can have beneficial as well as harmful effects.
Read the research →Stress & Executive Function
A meta-analysis examining how acute stress affects core executive functions.
View the study →Human Adaptability & the Future of Work
Deloitte’s work on the growing importance of adaptability, judgment, and the human edge.
Explore the trends →Leadership Development
DDI research on the challenges organizations face developing leaders for contemporary demands.
View the forecast →Leadership & Workplace Pressure
Gallup findings concerning leaders’ workplace experiences and the pressure they carry.
Read the findings →AI & Human Decision-Making
Research on what analytical technology can augment—and where human purpose, values, and judgment remain essential.
Explore the research →Watch & Listen
Videos & Conversations
Selected conversations about emotion, adaptability, coaching, and leadership effectiveness.
Featured Video · 26 Minutes
Coaching Leaders Through the Leadership Application Gap
Why do capable leaders continue to exhibit derailing behaviors under pressure—even when they know better?
In this 26-minute presentation, Charles M. Jones introduces the Self-Effectiveness Theory of Emotion and demonstrates how Adaptive Effectiveness coaching helps leaders change the habitual interpretations and responses that undermine their effectiveness.
Through practical leadership examples and a real-world coaching success story, discover why lasting behavioral change requires more than intellectual understanding.
Decoding AQ with Ross Thornley
A conversation about adaptability, emotional information, and what helps people respond effectively to change.
Watch →Decoding Your Emotions for Greater Leadership Success
A practical conversation with Cyndi Wentland about interpreting emotional signals and using them to strengthen leadership.
Listen →Activating the Power of ALL Emotions to Fuel Relationships and Performance
An earlier conversation about using the full range of emotion to strengthen relationships and performance.
Watch →Practice & Application
Coaching Applications & Experience
These examples share observations from Charles M. Jones’s coaching practice. They illustrate applications of Adaptive Effectiveness and are distinct from empirical research; they are not controlled studies or independent measures of lasting change.
From Defensiveness to Curiosity
See how one leader changed an automatic defensive response by recognizing an underlying effectiveness need and revising the belief driving their behavior.
READ THE COACHING EXAMPLE →The Evolution of the Work
Books & Earlier Work
Adaptive Effectiveness grew from decades of inquiry into emotion, self-effectiveness, emotional intelligence, leadership, and behavioral change. These earlier publications trace important parts of that development.
Innovations in Leadership Coaching
Chapter 5: A New Approach to Coaching Clients in Emotional Intelligence
View on Amazon →Continue Exploring
Want to Go Deeper?
Explore how Adaptive Effectiveness translates these ideas into a practical leadership-development methodology.
Explore Adaptive Effectiveness →