…the military acronym for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. VUCA, it describes the conditions that just about every organization is facing these days.
Who out there is not confronting disruptive ideas, products, technologies that seemingly pop up out of nowhere to rapidly change the environment you operate in. Those that are frozen in place, that haven’t prepared for the unknown, that have built an organization rigid in its thinking and blindered in its outlook…get killed. Or at least severly wounded and so become easy pickings for more flexible competitors.
Think about what Blackberry, who once owned the mobile phone market, is going through.
Why? They got complacent about the superiority of their technology and their huge market share and forgot to keep a sharp eye out for those launching disruptive technologies. Think Apple.
Flexibility, resilence, and a comfort with rapid and continuous change are the weapons to fight VUCA. You need to be ever vigilant for it is so easy to go from leader to auction fare.
The military knows that plans can be excellent…until you meet the enemy. For some reason your enemies never wants to follow your plans for them.
As soon as you vanguish an enemy, you need to be particular careful. In the glow of victory you can easily start down the path to complacency. And yet, as soon as one enemy is overcome, others begin to surface. It’s a never ending struggle to stay on top of changing conditions, to be prepared for the unknown waiting for you just around the next corner. VUCA really is out to get you.
Fight back. Continuously.
Pay attention always. Build the capacity for quick action. Encourage a culture of questioning everything and continuously thinking about how to make things better. Reward those who are never satisfied. Be adaptable.
Be the first to notice and take advantage when the black swans appear.