In our mid-21st-century world, we must make decisions that take VUCA-Plus conditions into account. There is ambiguity, uncertainty, and contradiction. Polarizing values are present, making thoughtful consideration and caring compassion difficult to sustain; furthermore, these decisions are subject to frequent review and modification as we try to navigate our volatile, complex, and often turbulent VUCA world. Goal setting is often unrealistic. The ad hoc character of our VUCA-Plus world often produces a feeling of infinite possibility and an unrealistic sense that the sky’s the limit.
Failure and disenchantment frequently are associated with a lack of realistic goal setting unless the process of designing and managing an organization includes not only the re-examination of context and strategy but also the regular re-examination of goals. Another frequent problem we face in a VUCA-Plus world concerns the complex interpersonal- and task-related skills needed to run an organization—or government. We are often “in over our heads” when seeking to build and sustain a viable working relationship with other people.
Thus, we must enter the challenging world of VUCA-Plus with several critical skills. First, is the ability to think in a careful, systemic manner about the world swirling about us. It is easy to think quickly with nothing but a desire to make the anxiety go away. We are fleeing—but to little avail. Second, we must acknowledge the stress associated with VUCA-Plus challenges. We must be mindful of this stress and find ways to reduce it while being proactive in responding to the VUCA-Plus challenges.
Finally, our problem-solving and decision-making in a VUCA-Plus environment must be done in collaboration with other people. We are not strong enough to confront the VUCA-Plus challenges alone. It is in collaborative dialogue with other important people in our life that we find the courage, clarity, and strength to not just make sense of our mid-21st-century world but also learn from the VUCA-Plus challenges and find nourishment and a sense of self-purpose in successfully confronting these challenges.
In this book, Dr. Bergquist intends to make the conditions of VUCA-Plus not only more comprehensible but also more amenable to transformation from challenge to opportunity. Hopefully, the unique perspectives and strategies offered in this book assist in bringing about this transformative process. Bergquist first identifies ways in which we are lured away from the task of directly addressing these challenges and are encouraged to travel down a rabbit hole into a distorted world of serenity. He then offer several distinctive perspectives (lens) that make VUCA-Plus conditions more manageable—and the source of new ideas and new initiatives. These distinctive perspectives concern the effective engagement of Essentials in our life and work. Bergquist also introduce ways to focus on that which is the Essence of our life and work. In his exploration of Essentials and Essence, Bergquist introduce a new concept called Polystasis. This concept builds on the neurobiology model of Allostasis offered by Peter Sterling along with the dynamic, feedback-based T.O.T.E. model introduced many years ago by George Miller, Eugene Galanter, and Karl Pribram. Specific strategies and tools (such as polarity management and white-water navigation) are introduced as ways to deploy the unique perspectives offered in this book.
