Standing for volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environments, VUCA represents the ever-changing, negative variables organizations can face in the real world. One great exemplifier of a VUCA occurrence was COVID-19; many individuals and businesses experienced the effects of this pandemic financially, physically, mentally, and emotionally. This unprecedented occurrence put several small businesses out of business because they were not prepared for the change.

The mistake, for most, lied in thinking something like the pandemic would not happen to the previously healthy economy. The pandemic put a lot of people out of work and negatively impacted many households.

For these reasons, I believe VUCA should matter to everyone. If the company you work for does not have systems and operations in place to satisfy worker pay during an instance like the pandemic, millions of jobs are lost, and several smaller businesses experience the worst effects because they are the least equipped to reverse the effect.

As a business management major, I can use this education about VUCA to always have a plan of action, using my foresight, for “rainy day” situations. Instead of fully trusting the economy to stay healthy, having seen the pandemic close thousands of businesses, I can learn and develop programs that can reduce the effects of, and improve, the well-being of the organization.