Podcast: Is VUCA still relevant?

Published: July 2, 2024

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An In Good Company podcast with Kay Woodburn, Founder and CEO, Gritty People

Understanding and managing VUCA

VUCA is an acronym first introduced in the early 1990s by the American Military to describe extreme conditions after the Cold War. It stands for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous and took off in a business context after the 2008 global financial crisis. We wrote this blog about it then, and over 15 years on, it still makes our ‘most read’ list every year. But is VUCA still relevant today?

Latest listen

As the founder of Gritty People, Kay Woodburn works with executives, athletes and teams from all over the world to make the changes that will help them navigate their VUCA landscapes. In this podcast we explore what we mean by VUCA today, the meaning it can provide to people and how to use the framework in organisations.

How to use the VUCA framework in organisations

Having the VUCA framework gives an acknowledgement that people are not alone. Businesses are not alone. That this difficult landscape we have to navigate exists for all of us.

What has made VUCA so timeless?

It goes back to this – change isn't new. We are always evolving as human beings, as leaders, as businesses. Change is inevitable, it's always happening. VUCA is still relevant as it isn’t just applicable to big challenges and global events – it’s a mindset towards change – perhaps there's a new person in my team, roles and responsibilities have changed, and I don’t know what this means for me. Or we've brought in a new system and how we do something is not the same. Or I've had a conversation that’s altered my mindset and beliefs I held have changed. VUCA stands the test of time as it explains how we are as human beings and our basic needs when we’re not feeling so calm.

Listen to the podcast on Spotify

Watch our interview here: