The VUCA Vectors:

The Art and Science Of Seeing Around Corners

If you’re like me, you look upon a new year with hope and a bit of trepidation. Change is certain, but change is a double-edged sword. 

How do you adapt to upcoming changes so that it’s in your favor?

In 1987, the U.S. Army War College was challenged to understand and manage the complex multilateral world that emerged following the collapse of the USSR and the end of the Cold War. Drawing upon the leadership theories of Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus, they introduced the term ‘VUCA’, an acronym for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity.

The premise is that if we consider Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity as vectors we can proactively manage, and 1) better shape our strategy, 2) better influence outcomes, 3) better empower internal and external partners, and 4) better facilitate alignment with our mission, value and purpose.

When we isolate variables using VUCA, we can more easily assess  options and potential scenarios. This ultimately allows us to optimize for a future we can’t predict, and more agilely respond to the rapidly evolving and interconnected market, technology and geo-political shifts. 

As we entered into another post-pandemic year, full of hope and endless possibilities, I shared more on this theme while presenting to the IBDC.D community on January 24, on the topic of ‘The VUCA Vectors: The Art and Science of Seeing Around Corners’.

Executives, entrepreneurs and investors brought up questions about:

• being authentic and transparent when there are so many unknowns,

• bringing out the most of Gen Z employees,

• leveraging your wisdom and experience to make proactive, considered choices,

• navigating the shifting geopolitical trends, and

• staying confident and agile with so much shifting around you.

You can soon view the recording and see the slides by and see other upcoming webinars at https://www.pfisterstrategy.com/webinars. We also welcome your questions.