This acronym first crossed my path around 10 years ago. It attempts to describe the chaos now surrounding us in more detail. Given the current global political situation and, in addition, the results of the U.S. elections and the first announcements of key players in the Trump administration, I thought it\u2019s worth revisiting. Because what we can expect in the near future is peak VUCA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
V \u2013 Volatility<\/strong> This trend is also set to worsen in research and science. Today, one area gets funding, tomorrow another, and the day after yet another. Unfortunately, this is opaque and unpredictable, forcing researchers to diversify their focus to secure enough funding. This often dilutes deep expertise in any given field. When you need to adjust your research to funding opportunities, this is the wrong way. It should be the other way around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another inherent challenge in research is team turnover. If you\u2019re good at managing it, this turnover might be predictable, but it still means constantly adapting to new team dynamics. So volatility is part of the game but has increased over the last few years and will continue increasing in the years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n U \u2013 Uncertainty<\/strong> And who would argue that our times have become more secure? When I joined the military for basic service in 1998, it was about disaster relief and stabilizing regional conflicts. Everyone seemed to get along. Then came 9\/11, the Madrid bombings, Putin\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, the Hamas-Israel-Hezbollah-Iran conflict, nuclear threats, Sudan, China provoking Taiwan, and the possibility of a far-right party with openly fascist views gaining significant power in Germany in a couple of months. This doesn\u2019t exactly paint a reassuring picture for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The academic world mirrors this uncertainty. Robert F. Kennedy becomes Health Secretary and oversees the NIH? Who knows what he\u2019ll do. Elon Musk cutting 50% of administrative costs? Another layer of uncertainty. The current geopolitical tensions have also reduced interest in climate protection\u2014what will be deprioritized next? Research?<\/p>\n\n\n\n C \u2013 Complexity<\/strong> Think of the number of academic papers published yearly and the research you now have to do to identify a gap or establish a solid argument for your work. Crazy! And you don\u2019t need to be a prophet to see that this is a dynamic that makes it increasingly difficult to keep up. Knowledge used to equal power; now, the real power lies in discerning relevance and the ability to filter out unnecessary information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A \u2013 Ambiguity<\/strong> This happens when we fail to communicate expectations clearly. A misperception I encounter regularly is the assumption that what\u2019s clear to us is also clear to our teams. Instead, we need to ensure our expectations are understood. Similarly, vague feedback like \u201cThat was good\u201d isn\u2019t helpful, even if well-intended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In short, we live in a complex and chaotic world that overwhelms us daily unless we take appropriate countermeasures. Fortunately, there are strategies to navigate the VUCA world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Interestingly, one proposed response in the literature is\u2026 VUCA:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vision<\/strong> Understanding<\/strong> Clarity<\/strong> Agility<\/strong> R \u2013 Resilience (My addition)<\/strong> Ways to build resilience:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t have to implement everything at once. Even a few steps can make your life easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, a pro-tip: Good risk assessment and mitigation strategies can make a team, project, or whole research endeavor more resilient. Identify risks, evaluate them, and determine where preventive measures are needed. For more, join our next free Leadership Lab on risk management on Dec 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This acronym first crossed my path around 10 years ago. It attempts to describe the chaos now surrounding us in more detail. Given the current global political situation and, in addition, the results of the U.S. elections and the first announcements of key players in the Trump administration, I thought it\u2019s worth revisiting. 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Nothing lasts long-term anymore. Today it\u2019s one way, tomorrow it\u2019s different, and the day after, something else entirely. We all need some stability in our lives\u2014some more, some less\u2014but that necessary level of stability is increasingly being taken from us. A simple yet not dramatic example of increasing volatility is fuel prices. When I was young, gas prices were set weekly; you could rely on them not changing for the entire week. When I got my first car, prices changed daily. Now, you drive past a gas station, note the price, and think, \u201cOh, cheap! I\u2019ll fill up later.\u201d Five minutes later, after picking up the kids, the price has increased by 10%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Closely tied to volatility\u2014and sometimes indistinguishable\u2014is uncertainty. Humans crave security and certainty, yet we also desire a degree of uncertainty\u2014the adventures we choose to take. Everyone has their own comfort level balancing these two. However, if all security is stripped away, no one can endure it. In fact, many torture methods are based on this principle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This isn\u2019t so much tied to current events as it is to the ongoing evolution of our knowledge. Essentially, there\u2019s too much of everything: too much news, too many cereal brands in the supermarket, too many configuration options for a new car. All of this puts us in a state of acute overwhelm. The sheer number of decisions we must make daily exceeds our capacity. On top of that, each decision requires us to consider countless factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The world is also accumulating ambiguity. Every new text adds a bit more. A university policy with phrases like \u201creasonable contribution\u201d or \u201csubstantial\u201d creates confusion rather than clarity. Similarly, we often unintentionally overwhelm our teams by being ambiguous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
A long-term vision serves as a guiding North Star. It helps align decisions, regardless of how uncertain or volatile the world is. Asking yourself how a decision aligns with your vision increases the likelihood of staying on the right track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The more connections we understand and the deeper we look into the reasons behind a VUCA situation, the easier it becomes to handle mentally and emotionally. For example, rather than being frustrated by a vague university policy, we could view it as a compromise aiming to balance various interests and focus on interpreting it in ways that benefit us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The word speaks for itself. Each of us must find our own path to achieve it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One idea from Agile Management is to drastically shorten planning horizons and make project scopes flexible. Instead of planning a three-year project in detail, you create a rough list of requirements (Product Backlog). In short intervals of two to four weeks, you tackle the most critical priorities, then revise and re-prioritize the backlog. This allows for better adaptability to change. Research often works in a similar way\u2014producing results, interpreting them, and deciding the next steps accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Be more resilient!” That\u2019s a common piece of advice from consultants. What they often mean is: \u201cGet tougher and suppress your emotions.\u201d But this is fundamentally wrong. Resilience is the ability to recover from setbacks, adapt to challenges, and stay grounded in difficult situations. It enables one to maintain focus and productivity despite disruptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n