VUCA (which stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) was created in the 1990s to describe disruptive and exceptional situations. BANI (meaning Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, Incomprehensible) emerged in 2018 when it became clear that the exceptional landscape of the 1990s had now become the norm. The VUCA vs BANI world shift reflects the increasing instability within our everyday environments. VUCA once adequately described the complexities of our world, but with the increase in drastic, unpredictable change comes the need to adapt to the BANI model.
Insights
VUCA vs BANI
In today’s fast-paced and unpredictable environments, understanding the frameworks of VUCA and BANI are crucial for leaders. But frameworks don’t tell you how to manage in a VUCA or BANI world. Impact help organisations to respond.
VUCA vs BANI world
There are many perspectives on which framework works best. But having a good understanding of both gives you the freedom to interchange them based on the context. VUCA is perhaps most relevant when facing a rapid change that can be compared to a similar situation you’ve been through before. Environments facing technological disruption, geopolitical changes and market shifts are good examples, where traditional tools such as forecasting, and risk analysis can be used to help provide direction and clarity.
Whereas BANI is more likely to resonate in fragile and chaotic scenarios such as a polycrisis, climate disaster or pandemic. COVID-19 was a perfect example of the need for BANI, where a virus that was morphing at speed brought mass uncertainty, putting pressure on global resources, government thinking and stress on health care, never mind the anxiety for the general public.
VUCA and BANI is not just about surviving but thriving in an ever-changing world. Leaders and organisations need help to work out how to respond to them and create a toolkit of behaviours for the future. For VUCA contexts, strategic planning, change management and communication are key. Where BANI is more recognisable, resilience, leadership agility and adaptability must be developed.
Above all, our complex world demands more human-centred organisations. What are you doing to adapt and innovate?
VUCA stands for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous.
This model, developed by the US Army in the 1990s, describes the unpredictable nature of our environment.
- Volatility refers to rapid changes.
- Uncertainty highlights the lack of predictability.
- Complexity points to the interconnectedness of various factors.
- Ambiguity underscores the difficulty in interpreting events.
Kay Woodburn joined our podcast to discuss the meaning of VUCA and if it's still relevant today.
In 2018, Jamais Cascio created BANI as he felt that we were so immersed in VUCA, it was no longer possible to distinguish it from normality. BANI stands for Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear, and Incomprehensible.
- Brittleness recognises the fragility of our global systems
- Anxiety speaks to our lack of trust and permanent anticipation of the next crisis
- Non-linear is about a globalised world in which cause and effect is no longer linear or proportionate
- Incomprehensible acknowledges that things aren’t just ambiguous, they’re often completely impossible to understand.
We invited Jamais Cascio to join our podcast and talk us through why he created BANI.
Find out more
Keep scrolling for more in-depth articles that break down the principles of VUCA and BANI, their implications, and strategies to navigate them.
Contact us if you're ready to talk about your VUCA and BANI challenges.
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Interviews and articles
Change
Leadership in a VUCA world
VUCA is an acronym which stands for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. This terminology is resonating with an increasing number of CEOs as we try to make sense of the constantly changing...
Change
Innovation & Creativity
Leadership
BANI: What is it and how can it help us?
BANI is a universal framework that stands for brittle, anxious, non-linear, and incomprehensible.
Change
Digital & Technology
Leadership
Podcast: Is BANI the new VUCA? with Jamais Cascio
Jamais Cascio created the BANI framework in 2018 and six years later, Impact is the first UK/US based organisation to invite him to speak about it. In this podcast we explore what BANI is and how...