Topic > The influence of vision, understanding, clarity and...

Nowadays the term VUCA, short for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, is often a catch-all excuse to explain the difficulties of the work put in in a particular position or course of action that goes astray. However, Johansen's leadership opportunities in vision, understanding, clarity and agility provide a roadmap to success by reversing danger, like an aikido move in martial arts, absorbing attachment and redirecting the energy of attachment attachment in a positive direction (Johansen, 2007). Nathan Bennett, a professor at Georgia State University's Robinson College of Business, and James Lemoine, a doctoral candidate at the Georgia Institute of Technology, explain what VUCA means for everyday managers in their article Management: What VUCA Really Means for You. In turn, the CEO of the Cymbal Company, Craigie Zildjian, provides a fantastic example of someone who absorbs the difficulties of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, like a martial arts practitioner and redirects their energy into a positive direction. The challenges of volatility as explained by Bennett & Lemoine (2014) as unexpected, unstable and often remaining for an unknown period of time represent frightening challenges for any manager to face. They suggest that managers dedicate resources to preparation. Volatility by definition deals with uncertainty and instability, so it is difficult to be “prepared,” but if you follow a set of core values, as CEO Craigie Zildjian does, market instability should not affect the formula for the future. The Cymbal Company continually focuses on aspects such as quality improvement, innovation, collaboration with customers, employee empowerment, and avoiding complacency (Zildjian, 2007). There is no “sec...... middle of the paper……or. The best investment any manager could make is to gain an understanding of what VUCA means for their organization and reverse that risk like an aikido move by redirecting the energy of the situation in a positive direction as described by Johansen (2007). Bennett and Lemoine provide a way to explain what VUCA means for everyday managers, but it's up to each individual manager to gain their own understanding and turn this insight into a business formula for the future, like Cymbal Company CEO Craigie Zildjian. Works Cited Johansen, B. (2007). Arrive early: perceive the future to compete in the present. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler. Bennett, N., & Lemoine, J. G. (2014). Management: what VUCA really means for you. Harvard Business Review, p. 1-2.ZildJian, C. (2007, July-August). Conversation: a formula for the future. (HB review, interviewer)