This open access book brings together works by specialists from different disciplines and continents to reflect on the nexus between leadership, spirituality and discernment, particularly with regard to a world that is increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA). The book spells out, first of all, what our VUCA world entails, and how it affects businesses, organizations, and societies as a whole. Secondly, the book develops new perspectives on the processes of leadership, spirituality, and discernment, particularly in this VUCA context. These perspectives are interdisciplinary in nature, and are informed by e.g. management studies, leadership theory, philosophy, and theology.
This book examines volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA) and addresses the need for broader knowledge and application of new concepts and frameworks to deal with unpredictable and rapid changing situations. The premises of VUCA can shape all aspects of an organization. To cover all areas, the book is divided into six sections. Section 1 acts as an introduction to VUCA and complexity. It reviews ways to manage complexity, while providing examples for tools and approaches that can be applied. The main focus of Section 2 is on leadership, strategy and planning. The chapters in this section create new approaches to handle VUCA environments pertaining to these areas including using the Tetralemma logics, tools from systemic structural constellation (SySt) approach of psychotherapy and organizational development, to provide new ideas for the management of large strategic programs in organizations. Section 3 considers how marketing and sales are affected by VUCA, from social media’s influence to customer value management. Operations and cost management are highlighted in Section 4. This section covers VUCA challenges within global supply chains and decision-oriented controlling. In Section 5 organizational structure and process management are showcased, while Section 6 is dedicated to addressing the effects of VUCA in IT, technology and data management. The VUCA forces present businesses with the need to move from linear modes of thought to problem solving with synthetic and simultaneous thinking. This book should help to provide some starting points and ideas to deal with the next era. It should not be understood as the end of the road, but as the beginning of a journey exploring and developing new concepts for a new way of management.
Leadership Agility is the master competency needed for sustained success in today’s complex, fast-paced business environment. Richly illustrated with stories based on original research and decades of work with clients, this groundbreaking book identifies five levels that leaders move through in developing their agility. Significantly, only 10% have mastered the level of agility needed for consistent effectiveness in our turbulent era of global competition. Written in an engaging, down-to-earth style, this book not only provides a map that guides readers in identifying their current level of agility. It also provides practical advice and concrete examples that show managers and leadership development professionals how they can bring greater agility to the initiatives they take every day.
Developing one's leadership skills to match our current VUCA world and to do so in a mature and authentic way, is what this book is all about. Psychology, mythology and examples of real-life enterprises are accompanied by the excellent analogy of one of our best-known heroes, Luke Skywalker of the Star Wars saga.
In this book, experts discuss whether volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA) represent a challenge or a business opportunity. More intense debates on global climate change, increased turbulence in financial quarters, increased job insecurity and high levels of stress at the workplace are attracting attention in the context of organization behavior and entrepreneurship. Fear and confusion have become part and parcel of business, often undermining trust, cooperation and inspiration. As a response, a new way of organizing self-management has emerged. The book combines practical wisdom from East and West, to develop integrative self-management theory and practice; provides direction to support an integrative mind-set, integrative organization and integrative leadership; and presents VUCA as an opportunity and necessity for development and growth, rather than a threat.
Leading Without Command offers practicing and aspiring leaders in business and other disciplines a new way to lead in a world defined by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. The compelling argument in this book is that leading through command, control, and deployment of raw positional power can no longer guarantee superior organizational performance on a sustainable basis. A new leadership model based on a humane perspective anchored on people-centred principles and supported by a set of appropriate skills and behaviours is put forward. This book is essential reading for anyone in a position of authority or influence over people and for anyone who needs to come to terms with the demands of a globally integrated and hypercompetitive world driven by digital technology, knowledge, and the redistribution of power from leaders to followers in organizations, nations, and societies.
NEW EDITION, REVISED AND UPDATEDWhat are the new leadership skills needed to succeed in the decade ahead? In this second edition Bob Johansen, bestselling author and longtime CEO of the Institute for the Future, teams with the prestigious Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), not only describing and updating the 10 new essential leadership skills but also offering tools and techniques for developing and applying them.
Visionary Leadership in a Turbulent World: Thriving in the New VUCA Context, is the thoughtful analysis of nine expert authors from around the globe who put VUCA under the microscope and take the reader on a journey that looks at VUCA from a number of different leadership perspectives.
It has never been more apparent just how volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) the world is. With all the adversity and challenge we face in today's world, leaders need to cultivate more inner resilience and learn to lead in a new way - a way that focuses on relational authority rather than positional authority. Resilience and relational authority (AKA - bringing out the best in everyone around us) require winning our inner game of leadership much more than our outer game. Unshakeable Influence provides hands-on and insightful tips for recognizing, responding to, and optimizing everything going on inside of us. The outside world is fickle, at best. When we have an unshakeable inner game as leaders, the outer game flows much more easily.Through exhilarating, relatable, and entertaining stories about motorcycle racing and leadership, Unshakeable Influence explores and examines what mastering the Inner Game of Leadership is, what it looks like, and how it enables leaders and organizations to not only tolerate VUCA, but truly thrive through VUCA.
Over the next decade, today's connected world will be explosively more connected. Anything that can be distributed will be distributed: workforces, organizations, supply webs, and more. The tired practices of centralized organizations will become brittle in a future where authority is radically decentralized. Rigid hierarchies will give way to liquid structures. Most leaders—and most organizations—aren't ready for this future. Are you? It's too late to catch up, but it's a great time to leapfrog. Noted futurist Bob Johansen goes beyond skills and competencies to propose five new leadership literacies—combinations of disciplines, practices, and worldviews—that will be needed to thrive in a VUCA world of increasing volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. This book shows how to (1) forecast likely futures so you can “look back” and make sure you're prepared now for the changes to come, (2) use low-risk gaming spaces to work through your concerns about the future and hone your leadership skills, (3) lead shape-shifting organizations where you can't just tell people what to do, (4) be a dynamic presence even when you're not there in person, and (5) keep your personal energy high and transmit that energy throughout your organization. This visionary book provides a vivid description of the ideal talent profile for future leaders. It is written for current, rising star, and aspiring leaders; talent scouts searching for leaders; and executive coaches seeking a fresh view of how leaders will need to prepare. To get ready for this future, we will all need new leadership literacies.
