VUCA is a very objective description of dynamics at work.
First popping out in our MIX environment back in 2010 (in a short comment by Bhaskar Deb.)
For each of its 4 dimensions, no need to panic, options, reactions and solutions exists.
Getting paralyzed is one out of 5 obstacles to serenity and happiness according to eastern inspirational great minds, also a recipe for failure in business growth, innovation, changing our eco-system.
Let's hack this VUCA volcano smoke and hashes clouds.
I propose an original practical approach, fitting micro structure as well as global spread ones.
Not for sale.Just a free gift to share.
- Volatility is the permanent trigger of anxiety and panic.
The first driver of aversion to risk.
Often reduced to the field for casino bets and outrageous insurance premium.
- Uncertainty is the mother of the non decision.
The rational for high and rapid assets returns requests, hedges, ventures and alike.
- Complexity is the root cause of lack of time.
For what ?
Understanding, mastering, deciding, clogging all processes with bureaucratic roadblocks and delays.
- Ambiguity is the disguise of non-decisions.
Pretending to be covered by ability to manage paradox, a big misunderstanding of paradox, or a big lie about management and skills.
VUCA is often a buzzword mixing the 4, thrown as an efficient and splashing introduction in many speeches and pitches.
While very few go beyond to use it as a framework for analysis and search for solutions, mitigation, or to unveil opportunities.
There is a need to contribute to start help understanding and design inputs and first proposals to fix this lack.
Not much is shared yet about it.Neither theory frames nor practices.
Give it a bold try at least.
Metaphor of VUCA to be explained step by step.
An interpretation of a design concept and now existing set of 4 sculptures.
A collaboration of myself and Sebastien Zanello, the artist. Copyright 2017.
C as Complexity...one out of 4 elements of the alignment....
Photo FJ Leconte 2017
The name of the game is : "Do not stop at the awareness sign."
Next towns and milestones on the road are : Sketchclear city / Daresome vllage / Sharelearnings / Spread town etc...
So Episode 1 is the first step to sketch of what is behind VUCA, not the acronym, the meaning of its statements and consequences.
Not the letters but the need for a (re)action in organization, and processes, management, leadership and decision making.
First popping out in our MIX environment in 2010
Then once every year we see some additional inputs .
Therefore this attempt to bring it to the next town on bold management road.
I propose to bring to each of the 4 disturbing factors a mitigation process.
It is not only a theory, but something already at work into a transformation experience into the global company I have the chance to innovate in that matter.
As Episode 1,
I briefly explain how Complexity is the main target of our simplification since 2015.
Complexity is adressed thanks to a simplification framework.
It is for one part a simplified version itself, of Lean, Agile and Six sigma systems.
But also, more surprisingly brings into the equation some anti-matter of it, for in some context, such concepts and tools may do more harm than good.
Just like a drug prescription or surgery.Like good intents paving an highway to hell.
It follows the famous logic path (and decades of track record process) disguise today under the DMAIC acronym.
Define phase is to scope the part of the organization and/or the processes we simplify.
Measure phase is a no brainer. We evaluate how much complexity momentum is gaining in the recent years.Classic average being 7%, while growing sectors get exponential doubl digits rates.
Analyze stage confirms the magnitude and brings additional specifics data on sub processes or sub part of the organization, especially room for improvements and opportunities of simplication.Locally often 20 to 100 %.
Improve stage is a dedicated effort to eliminate useless complexity. With a mix of tools and methods, borrowed to the systems mentionned, without preference for any "chapel of gurus". of transformation and progress technics.
Control as the moment to check the reality of the wash of natural entropy and the benefits of the simplification efforts.
Episode 2 will show the evolution toward the second element with Ambiguity as an additional shot trigerred in 2016.
Next episodes will touch our most recent attempts about uncertainty and volatility proof of concepts initaited in 2017 and currently getting to the real field of experience.
IF Mix communty is showing interest I have materials to keep with the ower of combination works of simplification addressing complexity and ambiguity at the same time.....so often mixed and entangled into bureaucracy and traditional management standards.
Cost control and reduction are no targets, but a natural consequence of the capabilty to re-allocate resources to growth ambition.
The name of the game is : "Do not stop at the awareness sign."
So Episode 1 is the first step and the challenge is to give some sketch of what is behind VUCA the acronym
First popping out in our MIX environment back in 2010 (in a short comment by Bhaskar Deb.)
Then once every year we see some additional inputs such as a mention by Stephen remedios about adaptabiilty.
Stronger tribute enter the Project 10X by Max Shkud and Bill Veltrop (Hello Bill...) with leads around distributed leadership and special mention about ambiguity.
According to the my own search it seems to be all of it.
(Let me know and apologies if I miss some contributions)
Therefore this attempt to bring it to the next town on bold management road.
First is to train investigators how to reach to the crime scene and observe in details the effect of complexity, often presented as a "silent killer ".
This is an expression I first read within a paper by the Boston Consulting Group (although not sure about the fatherhood of it) and used since, together with a specific speech about entropy.
Train investigators to look, to measure and to analyze as biologists, physicists, chemists, psychologists both the dying sub-processes, any dead performances, and living organic elements at work into the organization and the eco-system around it.
Good news : no one is really gone (maybe some individuals who resigned because puzzled), only the collective common sense, lost into transation of complexity into actionable decisions.
Train others to separate useful and useless complexity, and make org bodies simpler and alive.
I will give some details and next steps into further episodes when interest is fed back into the MIX community.
You can expect a slideshow at the end of episode 4.
Looking forward reading your comments dear friends of the MIX community.
Bare with my deep passion for complexity, only equal to my appetite and dedication to simplification.
Do not refrein from challenging...or ask for practical details
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Episode 2, 3 and 4 are now on line....you can get additonal perspective angles....also expect a 5 and 6 being the Cube framewrok final for that drilling level.I wish it trgiggers some intest and hacking questions...
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