VUCA - Competencies for new times!

VUCA

It’s become a trendy managerial acronym now: VUCA, short for volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, and a catchall for “Hey, it’s crazy out there! So what are the competencies that allow for employees to be effective in such crazy times.

The law of entropy (the degradation of the matter and energy in the universe to an ultimate state of inert uniformity), a universal phenomena plays itself out as simple moves to complex, single correlates to multiple, and order to seemingly disorder. The only constant they say is Change.

In such times, I would like to share from my own reflections what are the issues employees need to manage in such VUCA times.

For one, Need for Speed. Almost everything is required to be done in ambitious deadlines. During such times, one cannot cross the chasm in two leaps, and one needs to simultaneously work on both the urgent and the important. Change agents need to work hard, and smart, anticipate issues that would come up, while consolidating gains already made.

Secondly, need to manage ambiguity and uncertainty. Change by definition, means the design elements are changing. I have realized that people are open to change, provided they can be helped through moving out of their comfort zones, feel ‘safe’ in the change process, and if asked to participate. The key is to ensure regular communication at all times: milestones and clear path to destination. In addition, fair set of consistent and fair and sensitive principles, on how people would be managed in such times.

Thirdly, the change champion needs to manage Personal Frustration. During each day, there would be countless throughs and peaks: trials and tribulations. She requires to be balanced and moderate her emotions through this period. Emotional intelligence is the act of using one’s emotion for self and the other. Frustration is the result of ‘what I love is threatened’ and hence the reactivity that follows. Ensuring that thought, emotions and actions are balanced and in harmony is key during such stressful times. Hope and curiosity are two positive emotions that exist in troubled times. Crucial to see the ‘glass half full’.

Finally, during explosive change the change agent needs to manage personal obsolescence.  Managing change requires new skills: often drawing from past experience, often crafting new solutions. The ability to reflect and learn and be willing to recognize one’s own limitations and lack of knowledge is crucial. Wise is he, who knows that he knows not.

I would like to end with the analogy of white water rafting. The competencies required for such a sport lends itself to today’s Corporate turmoil: Energy, Thinker-Doer, Intellectual honesty, team player, managing and anticipating, clear objective of goal, willing to adapt to win.