Managing in VUCA Environments

Learn how to classify different environments and the appropriate response.
Diagnose readiness to deal with VUCA-environments.
Understand how to prepare for decision-making in volatile environments?
Learn about methodologies to apply in VUCA-environments (e.g., just-in-time decision-making, play-and-act, agile transformation) to be utilized to make the strategy process more dynamic?

Most companies today work in VUCA environments. Coined in the late 1990s, the military-derived acronym stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity—terms strategic business leaders use to describe the disruptive, turbulent, and rapidly changing business environment that has become the "new normal."

As a consequence, strategies and strategizing have to be revised in a way to have a better match. This involves a new radar screen for scanning critical issues earlier and for building the muscle for adjusting strategic moves on an ongoing basis. In the face of rapid changes, it becomes vital to learn how to distinguish between challenges that are obvious and those that are hidden – and to determine how to plan and lead appropriately.

Dealing with uncertainty has become the very essence of doing successful business, an insight that is often hard to grasp, and that will require a new mindset. We provide several company examples and blend experiences from Asia and Europe to contrast ways of dealing with VUCA-environments.

The participants will obtain a certificate from the Luxembourg School of Business. Our school is certified by the Ministry of Education as a lifelong learning organism and member of AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business).

Faculty

Dr. George Chondrakis is an associate professor at the Department of Strategy and General Management at ESADE Business School. He is also the director of the ESADE Entrepreneurship Institute (EEI). He holds a PhD in Management from the University of Oxford and his research interests include technology strategy, supplier relationships, mergers and acquisitions and intellectual property rights. His work has been published in leading scientific journals, such as Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal, Strategy Science, and Research Policy. He teaches strategic management in different programs at ESADE and has helped develop and deliver executive education programs. Outside academia, George engages in consulting by acting as strategic advisor for startups.