Leading in a VUCA World

What is a VUCA World?

The word VUCA is really an acronym that stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. You would think this is a new term describing the recent events we have all faced.

Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic downturn it created, and the social unrest, one would think VUCA describes it perfectly. Yet it’s really an old word.

Where does the term VUCA come from?

VUCA was first used in 1987 and based on the leadership theories of Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus. It was the response of the US Army War College to the collapse of the USSR in the early 1990s. Suddenly, there was no longer only one enemy threatening Western civilization.

Oddly, not having a common enemy would seem a calming effect. Instead, it created an unsettling sense of dread, as in ‘where do I look next?’

The World of Today

The COVID pandemic did not spawn VUCA thinking, but it reminds us just how hard things can be. It was felt long before we were subjected to massive shift changes in business and social circles caused by pandemic lockdowns and social distancing.

Neither an organization’s leadership nor its strategies are spared in today’s VUCA world. Experiences…