The Growth of Project Complexity in a VUCA World
By Dr. Harold Kerzner, Ph.D.
Abstract
In the ever-changing world that we now live and work in, disruption is as great as it has ever been, meaning we are seeing all aspects of VUCA within our own environments.
Currently, the biggest item on top of any CEO’s to-do list is creating, shaping and transforming their organization’s culture to be more responsive to change. CEOs talk about the values of integrity, trust, empowerment and leader development as essential within the new damaging environment of VUCA Management.
This paper will guide you through the hazards of working within this ever-changing environment to understand how to prepare, how to manage the impact of the continuing change and how to safely negotiate a passage out again.
Today, there is nowhere to go where you can avoid the VUCA environment. VUCA is forcing leaders and decision-makers to become managers of change. Making long-term decisions in an environment that has an abundance of complexity and can change continuously is difficult. This will require managers at all levels, including project managers, to develop new skills necessitated by the VUCA environment and to learn how to think non-linearly in order to manage complexity.
We all seem to agree that the world in which we live is dictated by VUCA, but there still exists confusion on the meaning of the components of VUCA. Some companies prefer to look at just one or two components, such as volatility and complexity, and downplay or avoid considering uncertainty and ambiguity. The application and definition of the components of VUCA are therefore industry or even company specific.
There are several interpretations and applications for VUCA and its components. The VUCA environment can be looked at on a global basis or just in the environment of how one company competes and makes decisions. The consensus belief is that all companies in the future must plan on how to compete and survive in a VUCA environment regardless of the industry.
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We will demonstrate how the project professionals can reinforce these values through personal example and by ensuring they cascade throughout the organization. By delivering this change through effective leadership, this will help to shape and reinforce the future business culture.
About the Author:
Harold Kerzner, Ph.D
Dr. Harold Kerzner is a globally recognized expert in project, program, and portfolio management, innovation, and strategic planning, and Senior Executive Director at International Institute for Learning (IIL). For over 50 years, Dr. Kerzner has shared vital guidance for making project management a strategic tool for competitive advantage and helping companies around the world build a powerful foundation for company improvement and excellence.
He has authored or co-authored more than 60 textbooks/workbooks on project management, including multiple editions of his seminal works. His books include Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling and Controlling; Project Management Metrics, KPIs and Dashboards; Project Management Case Studies; Project Management Best Practices: Achieving Global Excellence; The Future of Project Management; Using the Project Management Maturity Model; and Innovation Project Management.
Dr. Kerzner holds an MS and Ph.D. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Utah State University. He taught engineering at the University of Illinois and business administration at Utah State University, and for 38 years taught project management at Baldwin-Wallace University. A testament to Dr. Kerzner’s profound influence on the field is the establishment of the Kerzner International Project Manager of the Year Award. This prestigious award, presented annually by the Project Management Institute (PMI) which recognizes outstanding project managers who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, innovation, and contributions to the project management profession.
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