Leadership in a VUCA World

This chapter expands on all of the preceding material by focusing on a leader's capacity to formulate and convey leadership in uncertain times. As the world has become “VUCA”—volatile, unpredictable, complex, and ambiguous—there are no hard and fast rules for operating enterprises in the 2020s. The hierarchical organization paradigm is dead in the VUCA environment, and other models are developing, but there is no dominant model that works for everyone. New times necessitate new regulations, but there is no universal norm that applies to every sector and scenario. Leaders have been walking a tightrope for the last two years, attempting to maintain stability while coping with a disruptive and unpredictable pandemic, failing to hire despite a 15-year high in talent shortages, and revising policies to suit employee expectations for more flexibility at work. Multiple waves of coronavirus variations have put executives in a difficult position: trying to comfort and focus people in the face of ongoing uncertainty while having no idea what will happen next.