When adaptation has no endpoint: cognitive flexibility under prolonged organizational strain

Purpose This paper examines how cognition operates under conditions of prolonged organizational strain where demands persist, interpretations do not converge and disengagement does not occur. It challenges the dominant assumption in organizational behavior that cognitive processes under strain are inherently directional and oriented toward resolution, coherence or withdrawal. Design/methodology/approach The paper develops a conceptual framework through integrative analysis of stress and coping, sensemaking and burnout literatures. It identifies a shared directional assumption across these perspectives and demonstrates its limitations under conditions of sustained and indeterminate strain. A new construct is introduced and formalized through a set of theoretical propositions. Findings The analysis shows that individuals may sustain cognitive engagement without reducing demands, achieving interpretive coherence or disengaging. To account for this pattern, the paper introduces cognitive flexibility under prolonged organizational strain, defined as a mode of functioning characterized by interpretive openness, non-directional engagement and ongoing meaning adjustment without convergence. Originality/value The paper contributes by identifying prolonged organizational strain as a distinct condition and re-specifying adaptation as sustained cognitive functioning without directional progression. It extends organizational behavior theory by explaining how cognition operates when resolution, coherence and disengagement do not structure activity.