It didn’t seem that long ago when we based our business on the view that the environment was a calm lake. The challenge was getting everyone to row in the same direction—a focus on efficiency and maximizing the use of resources.
If there was a sudden change in wind, rowers waited until the coxswain shouted out new instructions. In fact, it was only this one person who was faced in the direction the boat was going. Now compelling evidence clearly indicates business change is becoming more frequent, more sudden, and less predictable.
The changes are evident in all aspects of the economy—resulting in dramatic increases in turbulence, more business failures, and less predictable earnings. VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) is now a permanent part our economic system. It’s a whitewater world we now live in where Science is going through a sea change.