According to Andrew Woods, in his article What is VUCA and why is VUCA important?
“It helps us to devise plans that are able to adapt to constant changes and flex where flex is neededVUCA provides a model that helps people understand the reality of the challenges faced by businesses and organizations that they may feel they have little control over. It helps them to understand that the VUCA world is a common factor in both life and business, so learning to navigate them is crucial to long-term success.
VUCA will always impact the decision-making process for organizations and the people within them. It will affect how they plan, manage risks, adapt to change, and solve problems. We can’t necessarily rely on the old methods of forecasting and planning and so need to adjust our methods and approach these issues in new and creative ways. It helps us to devise plans that are able to adapt to constant changes and flex where flex is needed.
Ultimately, VUCA helps us to realize that old ways of working cannot be relied upon, and to succeed in a VUCA world means being agile and having the ability to adapt to the changing winds. Our journey will not always be linear and there has become a real need to live in the moment and change when needed.
Leaders have more to deal with in a more uncertain world, make decisions faster, and manage large amounts of information and interconnected variables. A VUCA leadership approach can assist in shifting their mindset from relying on set outcomes to thinking of all possibilities in a challenging environment.
It helps leaders prepare for uncertainty and manage the associated risks.
It means that leaders are:
Preparing for as many alternative realities, challenges, and issues as possible
Anticipating market, technological, economic, and other trends, opportunities, events, and risks
Increasing the level of preparedness for change
The ability to adapt the strategy for both expected and unexpected change
A need to practice leadership agility and hire employees who are capable of adapting to change
Creating a corporate culture which is supportive and adaptive to change and uncertainty
Practicing a non-linear approach to decision-making and encouraging “out of the box” thinking
A leader who is able to manage uncertainty whilst still maintaining their vision and mission will be a true asset to an organization”.
Andrew Woods – article
Vuca’s Impact
Vuca’s impact in the workplace is a necessary trait that the leadership in any business needs in order to manage at all levels including corporate, managerial, and daily operations. A state of flux has replaced the sense of certainty, stability, and familiarity that people were used to. Technological advances in the workplace have created a dynamic and ever-changing environment that requires flexibility, volatility, uncertainty, and ambiguity.
With that in consideration, VUCA leadership aims to help manage rapid and unpredictable change, which is ultimately, the new norm for leaders in today’s modern era. According to the Article by Robert Half Talent Solutions,
It helps leaders prepare for uncertainty and manage the associated risks.
It means that leaders are:
- Preparing for as many alternative realities, challenges, and issues as possible
- Anticipating market, technological, economic, and other trends, opportunities, events, and risks
- Increasing the level of preparedness for change
- The ability to adapt the strategy for both expected and unexpected change
- A need to practice leadership agility and hire employees who are capable of adapting to change
- Creating a corporate culture that is supportive and adaptive to change and uncertainty
- Practicing a non-linear approach to decision-making and encouraging “out of the box” thinking
For example, restructuring internal company operations to match the external complexity and ever-changing environment is the most efficient and effective way to address it. Moving into foreign markets or doing business in new countries are common and productive ways to grow a business, however, this remains frequently complex and involves navigating new laws, regulations, and logistics that may come with this.
Works Cited:
Half, Robert. “How to Use VUCA for Team Management.” Robert Talent Solutions, 20 Aug. 2019, https://www.roberthalf.jp/en/management-advice/leadership/vuca#:~:text=A%20VUCA%20leadership%20approach%20can,and%20managing%20the%20associated%20risks.
Wood, Andrew. “What Is VUCA and Why Is It Important?” LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-vuca-why-important-andrew-wood/.