Responsible Leadership in a VUCA World

The goal of ‘creating positives’ is largely discretionary and ethical in nature, whereas activities aimed at ‘avoiding negatives’ are often mandated by laws and regulations. Both are influenced by notions of values-based and principles-driven leadership. The authors conclude with a discussion of the managerial qualities and organizational capabilities needed for responsible leadership in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment. Thus, VUCA conditions are not good or bad per se—they can be forces of both positive and negative disruption, of innovation and value destruction, depending on how these forces are managed—which underscores the importance of responsible leadership. The VUCA world is characterized by tendencies for things to get out of hand, and problems may quickly turn into crises (Drath, 2016), which is why resilience is key in dealing with the attendant stress.