Inspiring People towards a Common Vision in a VUCA World
Blinded by VUCA
Einzig (2017) reflect the darkness VUCA can bring and the ability to “see” clearly and view light at the end of the tunnel has become far-fetched. The absence of a well-articulated and purposeful vision has commonly resulted in a more veiled and blurred sight causing people to spring into fear and chaos, especially when their industry is threatened. Especially in a sunset industry, naturally, many leaders fail to inspire their people to transform.
The Need to Inspire a Common Vision
This leadership principle is crucial especially in a sunset industry where people are unmotivated to transform. Kuhn (2009) describes the complexity experienced by organizations as operating near the edge of chaos, where organizations feared undergoing uncontrollable cascading of events once they crossed the edge but doomed to repeat themselves when moved farther from this edge of chaos. Hence, it is paramount to inspire employees to think and act differently in order to transform or even just to survive. One core function of organizational ambidexterity is to explore new horizons in unfamiliar contexts, and for this to happen, leaders should inspire their people to move towards the edge of chaos.
