There is a third option, we ensure certainty by Finding and Securing Power in a system. With power comes control and with control comes an ability to do things “the good old way.” There is also the matter of self-fulfilling prophecy. We can establish a system of power that will ensure our own assumptions about other people (and ourself) are being fulfilled. We assume that those “Other” people are unskilled, untrustworthy and/or different from us. Without any power, they will fulfill our expectations–because we are free to act in a manner that elicits their poor performance, disruptive behavior, and/or strained relationship with us.
It seems that Certainty comes at a great cost. We can manage volatility a bit with some pre-mortem planning; however, certainty is another matter. For us to be “certain” about something is to be removed from any serious attempt to deal with the other five aspects of VUCA-Plus. It is impossible to be certain when volatility, complexity, ambiguity, turbulence and contradiction are swirling around our head and heart.
Complexity and Simplicity
As I already noted, we live in a world that is not just complicated (with many moving parts) but also complex (with many parts that are interconnected) (Miller and Page, 2007). We must take into consideration many different things and multiple, inter-related events that simultaneously impact our life and work. The systemic impact of this complexity is great. It is very hard in mid-21st Century life to make sense of or even find meaning in that which is occurring every day. At a personal level, this means that we often must spend a considerable amount of time trying to figure out what is happening before making decisions or taking actions. Slow thoughtful analysis is required (rather than fast “knee-jerk” and habitual thinking) This requires discipline and sustained concentration—which is hard to maintain in our fast-moving world.
There is an alternative. We can choose to reframe our world so that it is not complex. We can ensure that fast, habitual thinking wins the day. This requires that we radically distort the reality of our mid-21st Century life. To do this distorting of reality, we must join with others who distort their world in a similar manner. We can engage in even greater distortions when relating to these other people who perceive reality in a manner that is aligned with our own perceptions. We form an echo chamber with those who think like us. Our Bubble of Belief is impenetrable. We devote energy (and money) to ensure that those who lead and have power are also thinking like us. They might even have helped to “teach” us how to think in this simplistic and fast manner. We are fully devoted to these people who are now in authority—or are vigorously (and often violently) seeking to be in authority.
The Polarities of Complexity
Complexity entails the multiplex of forces, the apparently contradictory information flow, the sensitive interdependence of everything we touch, leading to the sense of confusion in which it’s hard to make smart decisions, steeped as we are in the moving dance of reality. A Left Column perspective on Complexity would center on being Clear-Minded in the midst of confusion. The central concern is sorting out what is most relevant and most easily confirmed while dancing with reality. The opposing Right Column perspective on Complexity would center on being Open-Minded in the midst of confusion. From this perspective, we would be primarily concerned with recognizing and holding on to the multiple realities that reside in the dance with reality.
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