The world in which we are asked to make choices is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. It is a Wicked World, as I characterise it. It is a ‘VUCA’ one for sure, BUT this acronym does not capture the full picture, as it is also one that is suffused with divergent interests, clashing perspectives and paradox. It is a world where judgment is key!

The world outside of our organisational domain of control is a VUCA one – or a R.U.P.T. one as some guys from Greensboro CCL have termed it – rapid, unpredictable, paradoxical and tangled (www.ccl.org/blog/navigating-disruption-vuca-alternative). ‘Unpredictable’ and ‘tangled’ are simply two facets of complexity so add little to VUCA. For me, these guys have done the obvious and added speed – though not all circumstances are fast moving – but maybe they can change quickly. RUPT loses uncertainty and ambiguity – for me this is very problematic – particularly as the circumstances we face are worse than uncertain – they are indeterminate. However, they have done us all a great service by adding paradoxical to the mix.

The two acronyms added together maybe get closer to describing the ‘reality’ we face, however neither acronym really captures the full ‘wickedness’ of the world we face, as neither brings in the character of the organisations in which we sit – environments that are complicated and suffused with vested interests, and laden with prejudices.

My acronym is clumsy – but here goes – QUPPVAC – the ‘Q’ stands for quick.

To learn more, and to engage with the added ‘P’, go to the Deep Dive.