Are you overwhelmed by your VUCA environment? Are you feeling volatile and uncertain? Does the world around you feel complex and ambiguous?
Does this feel familiar to you? In fact, the Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous feeling was first described in the military as VUCA; a phrase coined by the United States War College in 1998 in relation to the state of the world following the Cold War. Whether you’ve heard of the term VUCA or not, there’s little doubt that the world we live in is more volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous than it’s ever been before.
But what does this actually mean for your organisation today? And how do you lead through uncertainty.
Challenge #1: Understanding how your staff are feeling about the VUCA environment
Your people need to be able feel ‘safe’ to discuss their concerns. But where do you start? It is challenging. Why? Many of your people are feeling vulnerable. Communicating about feeling vulnerable is a risk. Many people just won’t share openly, yet who can blame them? Conversations occur amongst friends and misinformation and assumptions gain momentum. Ultimately, your managers are excluded from these conversations.
Solution: Create space for conversations around the impacts of working in VUCA environment.
Unfortunately, there is no cookie cutter answer. As a leadership team, you need to explore the most effective way to create that safe space. Whether it is in larger groups, smaller groups or one-on-one check-ins, what is important is that the leadership team intentionally create space for these conversations. Your people need to feel as if their concerns have been heard and that they are respected and valued in this crazy VUCA environment. It does not mean you have to give them an answer or promise something you can’t deliver on. Empathy is key. Being in-the-moment is essential.
Takeaways
Takeaway 1: The organisation as a whole needs to intentionally focus on hearing everyone’s concerns.
Takeaway 2: Your people need to feel heard. Not only heard, they need to feel as if their concerns are important to you, that they ARE important to you.
Challenge #2: Managing misinformation, assumptions and rumours
No matter what organisation you are in, people will always put their own answers to the questions they have. As humans we are wired that way. The ability to do so is a survival mechanism.
At times it is very helpful.
For example. Is that child about to run across the road? And you slow down just in case. Other times it is not. e.g. Why have they not told me about the pending change yet? I know, it’s because they’ll put me off. They don’t want to tell me yet. And then, they start sharing their assumptions; rumours will kick in and gain momentum. This adds another dimension to the VUCA environment. It could be as simple as their workmate asking, Why do you think they will move you? And they respond, Because do you remember when I questioned them about xxx and he did not like it… And so it begins.
Solution: Over communicate
Over communicate, over communicate, over communicate. To borrow words from Patrick Lencioni (from his book ‘The Advantage, Why organizational health trumps everything else in the business)’ ‘Over communicate’.
Communicate across the organisation, communicate across the teams, communicate within the teams and one-on-one.
Communicate what you know, what you don’t know and communicate when you will give the next update. Give the update, even if it is, we have no new information.
Make it easier for your managers, and help them by having consistent core messages. Then everyone in the organisation will have the same information. These messages are critical for a consistent and timely response.
Takeaways
Takeaway 3 – Make it easier for your managers. Help them by having consistent core messages for all managers to use.
Takeaway 4 – Impress on your managers the need for:
- everyone in the organisation to have the same information.
- timely communication – sooner rather than later.
Challenge #3: Managing expectations
Your people will all respond to uncertainty in differing ways. This is based on their personal needs, circumstances and experiences. Their responses, the good, the bad and the ugly, have a ripple effect on the workplace. Consequently, you will at times need to respond to inappropriate behaviour.
Solution: Communicate your expectations
Head this off by communicating your expectations early. Acknowledge that these are difficult times. Here’s what I have learnt: The best way to come up with how to manage expectations is to collectively design the guidelines with your team. Basically, you could impose your guidelines which become your rules, or you can collaborate with your team and explore together, how to we handle this, that, etc.
Starting from a collaborate approach makes it easier to remind people of our expectations, e.g. No off-loading in an open floor plan, go to a meeting room etc.
Takeaways
Takeaway 5 – Collaborate with your team to develop your behavioural expectations guidelines
Takeaway 6 – Respond to inappropriate behaviours in a timely manner
Today, disruption is the new normal.
There’s no such thing as ‘business as usual’, meaning if you want your managers to be adaptable, then you need to evolve as an organisation your approach to communicating through uncertainty.
You have to expect and be prepared for the unexpected. While this means learning to analyse and make decisions swiftly, and having the ability to pivot and respond to change, it also means having the communication skills to be able to bring on the conversation. These skills will be critical at every level of management. How you communicate with and within their teams has a huge impact (positive or negative) on how effectively you can navigate through uncertainty.
Communication and responsiveness are key in the face of uncertainty.
The organisations that communicate in this volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment will be those with courage and empathy in the face of change. Their leaders will be able to navigate through uncertainty and will be capable of making their team feel comfortable and valued in the face of uncertainty.
Are your leaders ready for VUCA? What do you need to do to equip your leaders to be effective and responsive communicators through change?