Why adaptive strategy matters

The world that charities operate in is changing fast. Rising demand, constrained funding, political uncertainty, and complex social challenges mean that organisations are increasingly having to respond to circumstances that can shift rapidly. In this environment, a fixed, rigid strategy can quickly become out of date. But equally, organisations need enough clarity and consistency to stay focused on their mission.

At our recent NPC and Clothworkers’ Company event, Adaptive strategy for trustees, we explored how trustees can navigate this tension. Drawing on insights from Isobel Colchester, Director of Strategy and Impact at Citizens Advice, and Trupti Reddy, Chief Operating Officer at Tender, the discussion focused on what adaptive strategy looks like in practice – and the role trustees can play in making it possible.

Rather than seeing strategy as a document to be written every few years and then followed rigidly, the session encouraged trustees to think about strategy as an ongoing process of learning, adaptation, and decision-making. Here are three key takeaways:

1. Adaptive strategy is about being clear on your destination, rather than every step of the journey

When people hear the phrase “adaptive strategy”, they sometimes assume it means constantly changing direction. But one of the strongest messages from the session was that adaptability and clarity are not opposites.

In fact, adaptive organisations tend to have a very strong sense of purpose. Their mission, values, and long-term outcomes remain constant. What changes is the route taken to achieve them.

For trustees, this means distinguishing between the organisation’s purpose – which should remain a stable guiding force – and the specific activities, approaches, and priorities that may need to evolve in response to changing circumstances.

This can be uncomfortable. Trustees are often accustomed to approving plans and then monitoring delivery against them. Adaptive approaches require boards to become more comfortable with uncertainty and change. But that does not mean giving up oversight. Instead, it means focusing governance on the questions that matter most: are we still working towards our mission? What are we learning about what works? Has the context changed in ways that require a different approach?

The goal is not to change strategy for the sake of it. The goal is to remain effective as circumstances evolve.

2. Learning is not separate from strategy – it is strategy

Another recurring theme was the importance of creating learning organisations. Too often, monitoring and evaluation are treated as reporting exercises, while strategy sits somewhere else. Adaptive organisations take a different view. They see evidence, feedback, and learning as central to strategic decision-making.

This includes learning from service users and communities, frontline staff and volunteers, partners and stakeholders, and external trends and changes in the wider environment.

For trustees, this means creating the conditions where learning can genuinely influence decisions. That may involve asking: what are we hearing from the people we serve? What assumptions are we making? What evidence might challenge our current thinking? Are we making enough space to reflect and adapt?

Importantly, adaptive organisations are not waiting for perfect information. They recognise that decisions often need to be made with incomplete evidence. But they also recognise that learning should be continuous, rather than something that only happens at the end of a programme or strategy cycle.

A useful mindset for trustees is to see strategy less as a fixed plan and more as a set of hypotheses that can be tested, refined, and improved over time.

3. Trustees have a critical role in creating the right culture

Perhaps the most important takeaway from the session was that adaptive strategy is not primarily about processes or frameworks. It is about culture.

Trustees play a significant role in shaping organisational culture through the questions they ask, the behaviours they reward, and the expectations they set.

In organisations with a strong adaptive culture, people feel able to raise challenges and concerns, learning from failure is valued alongside celebrating success, staff are encouraged to bring emerging issues and opportunities to leadership, and decisions can evolve in response to new evidence.

By contrast, if people feel pressure to present certainty, avoid risk, or share only positive news, adaptation becomes much harder.

For boards, this can require a shift in perspective. Effective governance is not simply about ensuring that plans are delivered exactly as expected. It is also about ensuring that organisations can respond intelligently when reality differs from the plan.

That means balancing accountability with curiosity. Trustees do not need all the answers. But they do need to foster an environment where honest conversations about change, uncertainty, and learning are possible.

What does this mean for trustees?

Across the discussion, one message stood out: adaptive strategy is not about abandoning long-term thinking – it is about strengthening it.

The organisations most likely to thrive in the years ahead are not necessarily those with the most detailed plans. They are the organisations that can stay focused on their mission while learning and adapting as circumstances change.

For trustees, some practical starting points include:

• Reviewing whether board discussions focus enough on learning and external change;
• Creating space for challenge, reflection, and adaptation, ensuring strategy is informed by evidence and lived experience;
• Being clear about what is fixed – mission and purpose – and what can be flexible, such as activities and approaches.

In an increasingly uncertain environment, adaptability is no longer a nice-to-have. It is becoming a core governance capability. And trustees have a vital role to play in helping their organisations develop it.

Watch NPC’s event, Adaptive strategy for trustees.