21. Surviving and Thriving In a VUCA World

The chances are good you’re not alone. This is all pretty common.

It’s actually common enough that there’s an acronym to describe it all. 

If you’ve experienced any or all of these problems, you’re living in a VUCA world. 

In last week’s episode, 20. Your UX Boot Camp Might Not Prepare You for Real Life, we briefly touched on this idea of VUCA.

UX in the real world is not like what you learned in school because in reality things rarely go according to plan.

And that’s because the real world is full of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity.

We often have to plan for contingencies, take calculated risks, work in buffers, or be ready to pivot.

There’s a reason why “pivot” is a businessy buzzword. It’s because businesses need to pivot.

A lot.

So this week we dive a little bit more into this idea of VUCA and provide some strategies on how you can survive, and maybe even thrive, in a VUCA world.

Topics:
• 01:54 – You’ve probably never heard of VUCA before
• 02:18 – What the hell is VUCA?
• 04:09 – Leadership is important here. Check out 05leadership
• 08:39 – Volatile
• 10:14 – Uncertain
• 11:41 – Complex
• 12:57 – Ambiguous
• 15:30 – A framework for beating VUCA
• 19:45 – This is not something only for CEOs and corporate leadership training
• 20:43 – These can be overwhelming, but keep the key concepts in mind

Helpful Links:
• What VUCA Really Means for You | HBR
• What VUCA really means for you (PDF) | Research Study
• Volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity | Wikipedia
• What Does VUCA Really Mean? | Forbes
• 8 steps to face a VUCA environment with Design Thinking | The Future Shapers
• Connecting the Dots: VUCA World, Strategic Design, and Organizational Paradigms | | Medium
• Workshop Tips: It’s a VUCA world, plan accordingly | by Roman Grant | UX Collective
• Navigating VUCA times with human-centered innovation | Stratx

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