In recent years, many organizations have started liberally using \u201cVUCA\u201d as a way to articulate or find a metaphor for describing the changing world in which we live, work, lead, and play. But this is often done without digging into its meaning.<\/p>\n
For several years, we\u2019ve been approached by clients not only to design and deliver programs that help their managers lead through the turbulence that characterizes the modern world, but also asked to specifically avoid using the term VUCA.<\/em><\/p>\n We think this is partly because of its U.S. military origins, and partly because VUCA seems to capture neither what they\u2019re experiencing, nor how to lead through it.<\/p>\n In response, we tapped our own knowledge and research at CCL about leading in complexity and developed an acronym that more readily connects the experience of disruption with the leadership necessary to navigate it.<\/p>\n We suggest RUPT<\/em>\u2122\u00a0<\/em>as a VUCA alternative.\u00a0<\/strong>It\u2019s a word in its own right, but not typically used alone. As an acronym, RUPT stands for Rapid, Unpredictable, Paradoxical, and Tangled.<\/strong><\/p>\n Rumpere<\/em>, in Latin, means \u201cto break, to burst.\u201d With the prefix ab-<\/em>, or \u201coff,\u201d the Latin forms abrumpere<\/em>, \u201cto break off.\u201d And abruptus<\/em>\u00a0is the origin of the English word abrupt<\/em>.<\/p>\n Rupture is an English word that still retains the literal meaning of \u201cbursting,\u201d as do disrupt<\/em> and interrupt<\/em>: all are derived from the same rumpere<\/em>.<\/p>\n DisRUPTion happens when RUPT\u00a0is in play and leadership fumbles.\u00a0<\/strong> For example, here are 3 possible scenarios:<\/p>\n If these challenging situations sound all too familiar, the good news is that RUPT\u2122 also offers competencies for navigating complex challenges:<\/p>\n The mindset, skillset, and toolset emerging from this work enable leaders to move from experiencing disruption, to new ways of thinking, reframing, and navigating the turbulence they are experiencing.<\/p>\n Here are 3 specific approaches we recommend.<\/p>\n Since the turbulence is relentless and nothing can be taken for granted, developing learning agility is essential throughout your career<\/a>.<\/p>\n At CCL, we define learning agility as \u201cthe ability and willingness to learn from experience and subsequently apply that learning to perform successfully under new and challenging conditions.\u201d It\u2019s an essential skill for leaders during times of change when both problems and their solutions lack clarity.<\/p>\n In a RUPT\u00a0environment, we don\u2019t have the luxury of relying entirely on sending our leaders through leadership development experiences. Instead, we need to see real-life challenges and mentoring as part of the 70-20-10 model of leadership development<\/a>.<\/p>\n The developmental experiences must be designed around leaders\u2019 actual complex challenges so that they’re equipped with the mindset, skillset, and toolset to handle these and further challenges.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve researched and developed tools and processes that enable leaders to collaborate effectively across various forms of divides found within, and external to, their organizations. This enables leaders to create shared direction, alignment, and commitment<\/a>\u00a0so that they collaboratively develop innovative solutions to their RUPT\u2122 challenges through a process of:<\/p>\n When leaders are confronted with complex challenges amidst disRUPTion, they tend to tap their well-developed problem-solving skills.<\/p>\n Such an approach can add even more complexity. Leaders need to take their thinking to a new level by recognizing seemingly unresolvable challenges\u00a0not as problems to be solved, but as polarities to be leveraged<\/a> \u2014 shifting their mindset,\u00a0thinking, and decision-making from either\/or<\/em>\u00a0to both\/and<\/em>.<\/p>\n When faced with the complex challenges riddled with competing priorities, a problem-solving approach applied independently of polarity thinking can lead to the worst<\/em> of both worlds: a move towards the greatest fear associated with each dimension of the challenge, rather than the desired and greatest purpose of thinking and acting in terms of managing the paradox<\/a>.<\/p>\n These are just some of the ways that organizations can approach navigating disRUPTion and turbulence in an inherently VUCA world.<\/p>\n Build your team\u2019s capacity for navigating turbulence and disRUPTion with <\/strong><\/em>a customized learning journey for your leaders using our research-backed modules. Available leadership topics<\/a> include Boundary Spanning Leadership, Collaboration & Teamwork, Innovation Leadership, Leading Through Change & Disruption<\/a>, Learning Agility, Managing Paradox & Polarity<\/em><\/strong>, and more.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The oft-used military acronym VUCA describes conditions of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity, but doesn’t convey how best to respond to these challenges and their inherent tensions. We propose RUPT\u2122 instead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":49928,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49927","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categories-disruption-uncertainty","categories-learning-agility","categories-polarity-paradox","audience-executives","audience-hr-consultants","audience-leaders-managers","region-global","article-type-leading-effectively-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRUPT (Rapid, Unpredictable, Paradoxical, and Tangled)<\/h2>\n
Our Proposed Alternative to the VUCA Acronym<\/h3>\n
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The RUPT Acronym, Explained<\/h2>\n
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![\"Infographic:](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Navigating-RUPT-infographic-Center-for-Creative-Leadership.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nUse RUPT to Navigate Turbulence (When Leading in VUCA Conditions)<\/h2>\n
3 Specific Approaches for Leaders<\/h3>\n
1. Nurturing & Practicing Learning Agility.<\/h4>\n
2. Developing Leadership Across Divides.<\/h4>\n
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3. Leveraging Polarities Inherent in Complex Challenges.<\/h4>\n
Ready to Take the Next Step?<\/h2>\n