ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on ‘adaptation’ in social studies and how it is defined at organizational and interorganizational levels. Various perspectives toward adaptation, the variables used for studying adaptation, the factors influencing adaptation, various types of adaptive responses, the difference between adaptation and planned change, modes and forms of adaptation, and the processes of adaptation are some of the topics covered at the organizational level. In the remainder of this chapter, the interorganizational adaptation is described in networks with different characteristics regarding their size, the strength of their connection and their homogeneity. Different characteristics for connection are further mentioned. Toward the end, discussions are taken place in respect of the forces behind the selection of the adaptation modes by networks of dissimilar characteristics.
