VUCA World and Corona Time
This article is based on a video lecture by Svitlana Savchuk, a trainer of “Tomorrow’s Lawyer” Program, facilitator and psychotherapist.
The purpose of the article and video lectures is to provide information, resources and support during this tumultuous time to help readers with professional activities and personal self-regulation.
The video-lecture is available by the link.
VUCA world = VUCA calls + VUCA answers
It seems that during our lives the world has never been so turbulent and volatile, and the future so uncertain. We called our lecture “VUCA World in Corona Time.” What is the VUCA World? What challenges do we have and how can we respond this time? How to stay resilient while still being flexible? Why is any crisis an opportunity? How to support yourself in a professional activity? Self-regulation in stress – how to do it right?
VUCA World. This acronym has its roots in the twentieth century. In 1985, the definition was brought to the attention of Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus. Later we find this acronym in the US military documents section which is used to analyze situations where well-prepared operations do not go 100 percent as planned. Now in the 21st century, the VUCA world is a characteristic of the world we live in.
VUCA challenge:
Volatility. Nasim Taleb wrote in his book, The Black Swan, that in the modern world there are unlikely events that are difficult to predict. Coronavirus is one of them. Every day, every hour, we receive new information that changes the world. This what Volatility means.
Uncertainty. It has probably never been so difficult to plan and predict. Now the best plan is the plan for today. That is, we can plan something promising, but it is important to make adjustments on a daily basis, understanding that amendments will come.
Complexity. If we talk about the crisis in Ukraine now, it is multifaceted: medical, economic and political. If we talk about the crisis for each person individually, we also have many of its components: we have to take care of our health and safety, professional competence, financial security and stability, we are experiencing a crisis of meanings, content, we review a lot and we re-evaluate. The world is multicomponent and it is important for each component to interact and respond to it.
Ambiguity. Now we are dealing with many “unknowns”. Many different interpretations, forecasts, ideas and information. With these many unknowns, we need to live, negotiate and make decisions.
Such characteristics of the VUCA world pose challenges for societies and countries, for every family and every individual. In order to resist these waves of challenges, and not just to resist, but even to perform some virtuoso tricks as an experienced surfer ridings this wave, we must be ready to answer VUCA challenges. The same VUCA acronym contains all answers to these challenges.
See the full article on the web site of the Program in Ukrainian language.
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The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the position of the “Tomorrow’s Lawyer” Program, the Ukrainian Bar Association, the Bar Association of Legal Aid Providers, the Quality and Accessible Legal Aid in Ukraine Project, the Canadian Bureau for International Education, or the Government of Canada and the Law Enforcement Section of the United States Embassy in Ukraine.
“Tomorrow’s Lawyer” is a powerful network of lawyers uniting opinion leaders in the legal profession, who provide legal assistance in accordance with the highest ethical standards, act as agents of change in society and leaders in the professional community.
The “Tomorrow’s Lawyer” Program was launched in 2016 and first implemented within the “Quality and Accessible Legal Aid” Project, carried out by the Canadian Bureau for International Education with the support of the Government of Canada in cooperation with the Legal Aid Coordination Centre. It is currently being implemented and developed with the support of the US Embassy’s Law Enforcement Section in Ukraine, the “Tomorrow’s Lawyer” NGO, in partnership with the Ukrainian Bar Association and the Bar Association of Legal Aid Providers.
