Organizational VUCA

VUCA shows up in organizations from two different sources – external and internal – and it is worthwhile to know the difference.  Some examples of external VUCA include:  the state of the global economy, the actions the government is taking to try to manage the market, what our competitors are doing, and even environmental occurrences.  There is nothing we can do to change or prevent or neutralize this kind of VUCA.  It is something we just have to manage as best we can. Internal VUCA, on the other hand, is often within our control.  Examples of this are:  ambiguous communication up and down the management chain, unclear expectations on how the actions in my role support the vision, lack of a plan when unforeseen things occur, and missing communication between silos and/or levels.  We do have many opportunities to control, reduce or minimize these dynamics.  And as we address internal VUCA, we can also be taking steps to be better prepared to effectively deal with the external VUCA that comes our way.  The key is knowing the source of the potential VUCA we are trying to address, because there are nuances to the approaches, and clarity around the desired (and possible) end result is necessary.  And since VUCA is all around us, wreaking lots of havoc, and only looking to get stronger, it’s worth the time and effort now.