Kıymet SAĞLIK EROZ
VUCA is a word that we often hear about the business world, which is found in many books, articles and education.
The VUCA concept was first produced in 1987 by the University of California Professor Warren Bennis and academician Burt Nanus. It was later used in the American Military Academy in the cold war years. Although it is mostly used for unforeseen situations in the business world, it is one of the most effective concepts describing today’s world together with the pandemic. Robert J. Gardner, CEO of investment advisory firm Redington, brought this concept back to the present day when defining leadership theories.
The rapid change of technology, the information pollution that people and businesses are exposed to, the ever-changing and unpredictable political and economic balances, the lifestyles that have to be differentiated, unplanned construction, environmental pollution caused by excessive consumption and natural disasters caused by degradation of the ecological system have become “our new normal”. And our world, in which we have to get used to this “new normal”, has turned into a VUCA world that forces us to live with “variability, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity” and puts non-agile people and organizations into a difficult situation.
In contrast to negative VUCA, which describes a compelling and negative process due to the concepts it contains and which does not feel good we can look at what positive VUCA is telling us about our future life. This will give us a realistic optimism in order to make life meaningful and adapt to it by taking quick action despite all the experiences. Although the period of uncertainty we are in frightens all of us, positive VUCA against uncertainty provides opportunities for us to develop many muscles such as creating vision, developing understanding, gaining clarity and being agile.
Negative VUCA | Positive VUCA |
Volatility | Vision |
Uncertainty | Understanding |
Complexity | Clarity |
Ambiguity | Agility |
It is important to understand VUCA correctly
Stephen Hawking tried to explain the period we are living in, saying that the 21st century is a century of complexity. Understanding the world of VUCA correctly is very important for all of us to remain standing and strong today. Vuca is a concept that tells that all people and organizations on a cultural basis should have a very fast mobility by looking in a holistic way from different perspectives in the face of unexpected events.
In VUCA, the aim is to be open to change, stay alert and aware in the face of events, knowing that dreams and intuitions will gain importance as much as objectives, knowledge and experience. Keeping up with these unexpected changes requires being agile and having emotional endurance. And at this point, understanding the necessity of change, creating a new reality for companies, establishing trust will make a difference.
VUCA, which appears as a theory when viewed first, is a concept that guides us to understand our present day. And by using this concept in the processes in our lives or jobs, we can realize the strengths we have, and create the potential to use them by developing them. People and organizations that do not develop their intuitions, have precise judgment, and have inelastic analytical minds can be in a difficult situation because they cannot understand VUCA, one of the important words of this uncertain era we live in.
Let’s take a closer look at what the word VUCA tells us.
Volatility: Today, we live in a world where technology, economy and our needs change very quickly. It is important to have methods to adapt to the changes. In these conditions, consistency in honesty, discourse and behavior will add value to companies.
Uncertainty: It tells us that nothing is certain and even guessing is impossible. For companies, teams and staffs to form more unity and to show trust will make a difference. Because this situation, which makes their decision
making skills difficult, can cause delays in advancing important issues.
Complexity: The complexity experienced in what factors trigger what in different situations creates difficulty in predicting the situation. Establishing a transparent and direct communication network and the discourses that make you feel that your hand is placed under the stone are important.
Ambiguity: Environments without clarity may have difficulty interpreting events and data correctly. Since experience is very important here, it will be beneficial to share responsibilities by making effective vision, strategy and goal setting studies with effective and strong leaders in companies, by incorporating these leaders more into decisions.