{"id":2157,"date":"2021-10-08T21:37:48","date_gmt":"2021-10-08T21:37:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/contemporaryleadership.com\/staging\/1870\/?p=2157"},"modified":"2021-10-28T22:12:55","modified_gmt":"2021-10-28T22:12:55","slug":"vuca-its-not-that-complicated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/contemporaryleadership.com\/staging\/1870\/vuca-its-not-that-complicated\/","title":{"rendered":"VUCA: It’s not that complicated"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In the late 90s, the US Army War College started using the term\u00a0VUCA<\/b>\u00a0to refer to the Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity that characterize battle conditions. More recently, it has been used to describe the business conditions that corporate leaders need to navigate to succeed in today\u2019s world.<\/p>\n

When we try to unpack these four elements and help leaders figure out exactly what they need to do differently, we see that the VUCA framework is potentially misleading. Just two of these elements \u2013 Volatility and Complexity \u2013 are actually the driving forces, with Uncertainty and Ambiguity being side effects. A slight reframing, as explained below, makes it a far more useful tool for leaders.<\/p>\n

Volatility<\/b>. To start with, the pace of change is accelerating. Not only is change happening faster, but different kinds of things are changing, in different ways. So it\u2019s harder to predict the implications for different kinds of change, and what changes are right around the corner. Leaders need new ways to understand and adapt to volatility \u2013 rapid, disruptive change. Personal and organizational agility \u2013 the ability to learn and adapt quickly \u2013 are essential. Volatility and the accelerating pace of change are explored in detail in our next blog.<\/p>\n

Complexity<\/b>. At the same time, the world is increasingly interconnected and interdependent, amplifying the complexity of making decisions. To make sense of this complexity, leaders need to think more systemically — step back and see the bigger picture \u2013 and act more strategically, by anticipating the longer-term, second- and third-order consequences of their actions. How leaders can thrive in the face of complexity is the topic of our third blog in this series.<\/p>\n

As rapid change and unexpected consequences ripple through our lives, people experience\u00a0Ambiguity<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0Uncertainty<\/b>. Most people are uncomfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty, and at high enough levels they may experience fear and confusion. In the face of ongoing ambiguity and uncertainty, it\u2019s difficult to know the right course of action, so people become more cautious, more reactive, and more self-protective. It\u2019s easy to point fingers and blame others when targets are missed.<\/p>\n

At a basic level, then, the best leaders approach Complexity and Volatility with a\u00a0cognitive lens<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 search for patterns, make sense of what\u2019s happening, anticipate and plan for potential obstacles and opportunities. In parallel, they approach ambiguity and uncertainty with an\u00a0emotional lens<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 build psychological safety and trust, listen with empathy and compassion to fears and concerns, acknowledge and value diverse views and opinions, foster a sense of community and connection.<\/p>\n

In VUCA times, two complementary actions are useful for organizational leaders:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Cultivate clear mission, vision, and values<\/b>\u00a0to provide stability and help people focus on what\u2019s most important. Having a clear sense of what we stand for and where we\u2019re headed enables a shared sense of meaning and purpose that encourages collaboration and teamwork.<\/p>\n

2. Once you have a clear strategic foundation, you can then build the organization\u2019s capabilities and discipline to\u00a0act decisively and adapt quickly<\/b>. Working in small steps toward a higher-level goal enables you to learn and adjust as you go, so you can reflect on what you\u2019re learning and pivot quickly when appropriate. Leading in this fashion is similar to E. L. Doctorow\u2019s view of writing; it\u2019s \u201clike driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

David\u2019s second and third blogs in this series will explore a deeper dive into Volatility and Complexity, and the fourth blog will conclude with an integrated guide to how leaders can optimize how they lead in VUCA.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the late 90s, the US Army War College started using the term\u00a0VUCA\u00a0to refer to the Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and…<\/p>\nRead More<\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2151,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insights","category-institute"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nVUCA: It's not that complicated - STAGING Contemporary Leadership Advisors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"VUCA: It's not that complicated - STAGING Contemporary Leadership Advisors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the late 90s, the US Army War College started using the term\u00a0VUCA\u00a0to refer to the Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/contemporaryleadership.com\/staging\/1870\/vuca-its-not-that-complicated\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"STAGING Contemporary Leadership Advisors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-10-08T21:37:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-10-28T22:12:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Cecile\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Cecile\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/contemporaryleadership.com\\\/staging\\\/1870\\\/vuca-its-not-that-complicated\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/contemporaryleadership.com\\\/staging\\\/1870\\\/vuca-its-not-that-complicated\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Cecile\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/contemporaryleadership.com\\\/staging\\\/1870\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a5e1666efabc43059bbb8e9034260dd4\"},\"headline\":\"VUCA: It’s not that complicated\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-10-08T21:37:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-10-28T22:12:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/contemporaryleadership.com\\\/staging\\\/1870\\\/vuca-its-not-that-complicated\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":615,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/contemporaryleadership.com\\\/staging\\\/1870\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/contemporaryleadership.com\\\/staging\\\/1870\\\/vuca-its-not-that-complicated\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"articleSection\":[\"Insights\",\"Institute\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/contemporaryleadership.com\\\/staging\\\/1870\\\/vuca-its-not-that-complicated\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/contemporaryleadership.com\\\/staging\\\/1870\\\/vuca-its-not-that-complicated\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/contemporaryleadership.com\\\/staging\\\/1870\\\/vuca-its-not-that-complicated\\\/\",\"name\":\"VUCA: It's not that complicated - 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