Balancing socially conscious cohesiveness in the VUCA world

The world we know has changed drastically over the years. We live in a society that changes
round the clock and is bounded by factors like global interdependence, accelerating technology,
and frequent disruptions in the marketplace. Our most recent journey of living with COVID-19 is
arguably the most uncertainty mankind has faced in recent memory. This pandemic has taught
us that the present is obscure and consequently, the future is unpredictable. The time it will take
us to fully recover from this unprecedented situation is still undetermined, and we
simultaneously have other issues to tackle, namely the ongoing Trade War, Climate Change,
and dip in economies around the world.

VUCA is an acronym for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity; words that are now
embedded in our ecosystem, as the planet deals with repercussions of the pandemic that
engulfs all. Whether it’s at an individual level, or large organizations or governments operating
at the international level, this environment affects all.

While operating in such territory, one thing that binds us together is our social relationships.
Rapid change around us brings social tensions and disharmony in society and hence calls for
meaningful efforts at ‘Social Engagements’, now more than ever. This requires organizations to
move beyond the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility and reach higher towards Creating
Shared Value by promoting and adopting a self-regulating business model and a culture of
sustainability where there’s an inherent sense of connectedness and solidarity amongst society.
To grow as a whole and bring out the best from all parties involved, we need to maintain
synergy between organizations and nations around the planet. Social cohesion is about being
more inclusive, inviting more participation from all sections and creating more opportunities for
everyone involved while focusing on balanced sustainable growth, thereby initiating overall
business development with better policies.

Instead of viewing VUCA as a calamity, we can join hands and turn it into a pool of opportunities
by empowering everyone to bring out the best in them. We ought to follow transparent and
effective principles and processes that will stand for the betterment of everyone. It is our
responsibility as a society to work towards replacing Volatility with Values, Uncertainty with
Understanding, Complexity with Coherence, and Ambiguity with Agility. We must try to counter
the VUCA world with a community of shared values like networking, participation, empathy,
unity, and supporting individualism while celebrating our differences.

What is needed in this climate is the willingness of organizations to strike a balance between
pursuing economic growth and collaborating to bring about positive change in the world. Like
Henry David Thoreau says, “Goodness is the only investment which never fails”.