1. Leadership Competencies
for a
VUCA World
Tathagat Varma
VP, Strategic Process Innovations
[24]7 Innovation Labs

2. Do you want to be in movies?
Good! Let’s go…

3. How about?
OK, how about all four?

4. Volatility
The nature and dynamics of change, and
the nature and speed of change forces and
change catalysts.

5. Volatility – Leadership Challenges
The pace of change is faster and more rapid than our ability to respond
The increased pace of change requires accelerated decision making
Change are large scale and occur suddenly and usually require an urgent response.
Leaders are left feel overwhelmed, stress, anxious and unprepared to lead effectively
The challenge for leaders is to learn to respond and manage change more effectively. To
shift from reacting to change and move towards a more proactive response to change
Command and control structures fail in fast changing and disruptive environments.
hp://www.georgeambler.com/vuca-­‐leading-­‐in-­‐turbulent-­‐8mes/

6. Uncertainty
The lack of predictability, the prospects
for surprise, and the sense of awareness
and understanding of issues and events.

7. Uncertainty – Leadership Challenges
It’s difficult to get a handle on what’s actually happening
Leaders are required to act on incomplete or insufficient
information
Leaders are are more likely to rely on what seemed to have
worked in the past
Too much information noise, not enough signal
Difficulty in “connecting the dots” to understand the outcomes of
an event
hp://www.georgeambler.com/vuca-­‐leading-­‐in-­‐turbulent-­‐8mes/

8. Complexity
The multiplex of forces, the confounding of
issues and the chaos and confusion that
surround an organization.

9. Complexity – Leadership Challenges
Difficulty in acting and drive the change required to address the web of
interrelated issues and concerns
Increased complexity makes it difficult to know where to start to drive
change
Temptation to act on and implement short-term solutions and over rely on
quick wins
Leaders lack the time to reflect and think through the complexities and end
up acting too quickly
Mitigating actions do not address the root cause only the symptoms
The danger of getting stuck in analysis paralysis and end up acting too late
hp://www.georgeambler.com/vuca-­‐leading-­‐in-­‐turbulent-­‐8mes/

10. Ambiguity
The haziness of reality, the potential for
misreads, and the mixed meanings of
conditions; cause-and-effect confusion.

11. Ambiguity – Leadership Challenges
Failure to understand the significance of an event
High risk of miss-interpreting events and
responding inappropriately of in ineffective ways
Leaders are too far removed from the source and
context of the events
Leaders act based on a limited understanding of
events and their meaning
hp://www.georgeambler.com/vuca-­‐leading-­‐in-­‐turbulent-­‐8mes/

12. So, what’s this VUCA thingy?
• US Military started using this term in late 90s
for the post-Cold War world
• “relates to how people view the conditions
under which they make decisions, plan
forward, manage risks, foster change and solve
problems.”
• Reflects a fast-paced, increasingly unstable and
rapidly changing world
• …The New Normal!

13. How does it impact?
Vola8lity
Causes
fear,
risk-­‐aversion
and
‘back-­‐to-­‐
basics’
reac8ons
Uncertainty
Complexity
Causes
paralysis
through
a
tendency
to
invest
excessive
–
and
fu8le
–
efforts
on
data
analysis
hp://www.zeislerassociates.com/VUCA.html
Causes
a
desire
to
look
for
scapegoats
or
black
and
white
solu8ons
that
are
usually
erroneous
Ambiguity
Induces
doubt,
distrust
and
hesitancy,
and
impedes
decision-­‐
making
and
change

14. The antidote – VUCA Prime
Leaders
Make
The
Future
–
Bob
Johansen

15. Leadership Lessons from US Military
Vola8lity
• Translate
data
into
informa8on
• Communicate
early
• Ensure
your
intent
is
understood
Uncertainty
• Get
a
fresh
perspec8ve
• Be
flexible
• Glance
back,
look
ahead
hp://hbr.org/special-­‐collec8ons/spotlights/2010/november
Complexity
• Develop
collabora8ve
leaders
• Stop
seeking
permanent
solu8ons
• Train
tomorrow’s
heroes
now
Ambiguity
• Listen
well
• Think
Divergently
• Setup
incremental
dividends

16. Success factors from Industry
Capitalize
on
complexity
An8cipate
risks
but
don’t
invest
too
much
8me
in
long-­‐
term
strategic
plans
Think
big
picture
Be
curious
Encourage
networks
rather
than
hierarchies
Leverage
Diversity
Employee
engagement
Retain
a
clear
vision
Provide
clear
direc8on
and
consistent
messaging
Get
used
to
being
uncomfortable!
hp://www.impac8nterna8onal.com/blog/2012/01/leadership-­‐vuca-­‐world

17. “…Having spent forty
years forecasting, I
believe that the future
world will be more
volatile, more
uncertain, more
complex, and more
ambiguous, or so it will
seem if you are in a
seat of leadership.”

18. Ten Leadership Skills
Maker
Ins8nct
Construc8ve
Depolarizing
Clarity
Quiet
Transparency
Dilemma
Flipping
Rapid
Prototyping
Immersive
Learning
Ability
Smart
mob
organizing
Bio-­‐empathy
Commons
Crea8ng

19. Recap
The
new
normal…
and
only
gets
beer!
Needs
different
set
of
leadership
skills
Key
is
to
have
Vision,
Understanding,
Clarity
and
Agility
Pic:
hp://managementhelp.org/blogs/leadership/2011/02/23/using-­‐vuca-­‐%E2%88%9E-­‐vuca-­‐prime/

20. References
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VUCA - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatility,_uncertainty,_complexity_and_ambiguity
Understanding the VUCA World with Bob Johansen and David Small http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJqCPFzq6kU
Living in a VUCA World - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg6x7JeNNsU
Living in the VUCA World with Prof. Paul Kinsinger - http://vimeo.com/64649575
Leadership in a VUCA World with Marish Manwani http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA02Jvpo8LQ and
http://www.hul.co.in/Images/Harish-AGM-Speech-2013-Leadership-in-a-VUCAWorld_tcm114-365167.pdf
Leading change in the VUCA world - http://prezi.com/1s2xds8yngir/vuca-prime/
Leading in a VUCA Environment - http://blogs.hbr.org/2010/11/leading-in-a-vuca-environment/,
http://blogs.hbr.org/2010/11/leading-in-a-vuca-environment-1/,
http://blogs.hbr.org/2010/12/leading-effectively-in-a-vuca/,
http://blogs.hbr.org/2011/01/leading-effectively-in-a-vuca-1/
Developing Leaders in a VUC Environment http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/~/media/Files/documents/executive-development/developingleaders-in-a-vuca-environment.pdf
http://blog.jerasustainabledevelopment.com/2012/09/05/downside-up---managing-risks-part-1.aspx
Winning a SuperVUCA World - http://www.saatchikevin.com/Winning_in_a_SuperVUCA_World/