Paradigm Shift

The leadership / organizational paradigm is dramatically shifting. It’s been shifting for quite some time but more dramatically over the last two years with the required changes per COVID. The From - To model highlights these shifts:

From —- To

Shareholders —- Stakeholders

Profits —- Triple Bottom Line (people, planet, profit)

Predictable —- VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous)

Organization as a Machine —- Organization as a Living Organism

Hierarchical —- Relational, Network

Maximizing —- Optimizing

Efficiency —- Agile

Directing —- Coaching

Understanding what this means for your organization is paramount especially in the competitive labor market. One thing is certain, leaders’ behaviors need to reflect the shift to attract and retain talent and customers and have positive organizational cultures.

Robert Johansen in 2012, a decade ago, reframed VUCA into VUCA Prime:

Vision rises above volatility

Understanding lessens uncertainty

Clarity refutes complexity

Agility overcomes ambiguity

Johansen looked at it from the point of view of how leaders need to behave to counter the original VUCA.

So you see, this shift is not new. It may feel new because of the keen eye on it all now. It all may be a bit perplexing to you. LIV can help.

Source paradigm shift: Maslow Centre

Source VUCA Prime: Leaders Make the Future: Ten New Leadership Skills for an Uncertain World, Johansen, Robert, Berret-Koehler, Inc., San Francisco, 2012