VUCCA for Growth and Innovation
The US ARMY coined the original term VUCA when it tried to describe the world after the Cold War; however, in my mind, another term has to be added to the list, which is Chaos, resulting in a different acronym, VUCCA.
With the Covid Pandemic and the current issues with inflation, everyone seems to be using the reference to this term like it is something new. In reality, life has been VUCCA for centuries. It has just changed its scope and become much broader.
While it seems to be a simple explanation (excuse) for today’s political, economic, and climatic environmental struggles, I believe we can use this to trigger a new attitude and growth potential in society and business.
What is VUCCA?
As an acronym, five adjectives are involved: volatile, uncertain, complex, chaotic, and ambiguous. Each is trying to assign characteristics and emotions to the current level of confusion we face in this world. We want to avoid dealing with it and have something to blame for the disorder rather than deciding to collaborate, embrace & respect each other and proactively resolve the issues at hand.
Below is how I am interpreting the adjectives:
Volatility implies that changes are rapid, violent, and uncontrollable. While it may seem improbable that we can predict the start or duration of the changes, there are hints everywhere.
In business, for example, project managers often deal with the changes from stakeholders who seem to come from the left field and complain that they can never anticipate all the needs. The reality is that we must understand that you can never plan for every roadblock or hiccup on a project or life event.
Sometimes the volatility is a product of an unstable and unstructured environment. Other times it is very intentional and undermining. The key is allowing the volatility to energize change and provide the fuel for innovation.
Uncertainty is a feeble mindset to have in life and business. The desire for certainty can be deadly in business and life. It prevents people from actually using past experiences to learn and grow. Staying in one’s comfort zone is a myth that impedes even the most methodical and disciplined individual. When rules become irrelevant and outdated, it doesn’t mean they are useless or overwhelming.
It should mean that it is time to stop and examine those rules in light of the current environment and either change, replace or discard them. It may seem like there are too many unknowns to deal with, but everything is manageable if you break it down into components.
The other factor here is to remember that anticipating or predicting specific outcomes in the future is challenging and risky. However, staying in the exact location and spinning our wheels is also dangerous.
Chaos is pure pandemonium; however, we can assess and observe patterns and trends with uncertainty. Through this assessment, we can estimate the probability of certain events, evaluate the risks, and take advantage of any opportunities. However, Chaos is just Chaos.
The key with Chaos is understanding and identifying when we face uncertainty where we can anticipate some things versus when we face Chaos. The best action plan in Chaos may be to let the dust settle and examine the opportunities.
Complexity highlights the often-self-imposed difficulty of finding and altering cause-and-effect actions. Finding remedies may seem insurmountable because we may be surrounded by too much data or too many external influences where there is no control to make a smooth process possible.
A term entering the world today defines the nature of complexity by describing the glut of information as “Infobesity,” which is appropriate for today’s world. When bombarded with information, many choose to shrink into a state of analysis paralysis and do nothing, precisely what the data generators want to happen.
Learning how to master the flow of data and isolate the good from the bad will be the key to success in business and life today. Avoid using the excuse that too much is going on and the overload makes us feel chaotic and confused.
The last characteristic of VUCCA introduces Ambiguity. We often claim that our current world is filled with many unknowns. We want to claim that there is no history to provide insights into most events. However, I choose to disagree.
We often choose not to clarify or find root problems because of political, economic, or emotional influences that obscure the path. It’s easier to say I don’t know or don’t care rather than dig in and tackle the issues. When we hide from confronting reality, it becomes very easy to misinterpret facts based on confirmational bias and come to a faulty conclusion.
The only constant of VUCCA is that it is a rapid and unpredictable force of change. VUCCA has been around for centuries but continues to increase its breadth and speed of impact on the world. It seems we want to react and implore our flight-or-fight response, which may be the correct response in some situations. Still, in many other cases, it would be better to take time to back up and understand where the underlying issues are and find solid adaptable responses that move us forward rather than backward.
I am a great fan of focusing on flexibility and agility in business and learning to effectively change conditions by adapting processes, attitudes, and responses that reward rather than negate or limit growth.
Thankfully, flexibility and agility can be learned and grown within each of us with a bit of attention to detail and habit adjustments. When you desire not to react, you can focus on experimenting with change for the better.
Below are some ideas to help you increase your flexibility & agility:
Change Habits. New habits don’t occur spontaneously. New abilities aren’t picked off of trees when they are ripe. Learning to live with and leverage VUCCA in our world ensures that adaptation to change becomes a core skill. Begin with making small positive changes that allow you to deal with VUCCA concerns. As you expand your capabilities, you will adjust when significant changes come. Consider this as rewiring your brain. When we build new habits, the neurons change and improve. When we take on challenges, our energy levels increase with every success, and we learn from every mistake.
Focus on Self-Awareness. Too often today, we want to focus on everyone else changing instead of looking at ourselves and dealing with what we have control over, which is us. We build self-confidence and growth by understanding our values, attitudes, biases, and strengths.
Being self-aware requires being honest and writing down all the planned and unexpected changes we’ve coped with. What has helped you? What has stopped us from moving on?
I find it remarkable that many people develop a victim mentality, yet when they examine the factual story, they’re genuinely great survivors. Determine to move on and recognize and appreciate each exciting step you make into the unknown.
Think before you speak. Today stress levels can accelerate when some elementary words are misapplied or twisted. To transform your mindset, you need to understand the power of words. Words are a two-way street; those you speak and those that are communicated to you. Both can be either positive or negative. It’s time to upgrade your communications skills. Engage your mind before engaging your mouth. Listen before you talk. Check what words are full of possibilities.
Expand your vocabulary to transform your communications. Use words that make everyone curious about the journey, and readjust the view on the opportunity.
Take responsibility for your choices. There are many ways events may evolve. However, our reaction to transitions is pretty standard. We all have a way of navigating positive and negative changes. In every part of the journey, there are choices you can take.
Instead of:
· worrying, concentrate on facts and how they affect your reality right now. Understand the impact and understand that it will change with the right choices.
· hanging on to the past, always learn from the past, live in the present, and anticipate the future. Appreciate what has been beneficial and move on to the next level.
· complaining, either accept the current stage or focus on things in other areas of your life you can control.
· being confused, build your confidence by journaling, then reflecting on the lessons learned. Keep a gratitude journal to recognize all the good things in your life, small and large.
· accepting everything you read or hear as gospel, always run your reading and listening through your value base. Always determine whether it is true or false based on objective evaluation, not just confirmation bias.
Think big when leveraging VUCCA
Too often, we use the excuse of the VUCCA world to limit our thinking and potential for growth. What ifs become an excuse for not experimenting or trying something new.
There will always be transitions and changes we can’t predict and plan for. However, that doesn’t mean we must stop and hide until the danger is over. By learning to live with and in a VUCCA world, we can adapt, modify, and grow despite what gets thrown at us.
Yes, there will be failure, but failure is not a death sentence but rather a learning situation when done correctly and in the right environment. Our goal should always be to move forward in incremental steps and allow diversity and inclusion in our lives. By leveraging various ideas and thoughts, you will be amazed at how many innovative products, services, and solutions will come to the surface if egos are out of the way.
Bumps in the road are all part of life; some are small; others are huge. However, with the proper support and attitude, you can overcome anything. Much of the support necessarily comes from within rather than looking outward for approval from others. Trust in yourself and your ability to adapt and persevere.
