VUCAD: Volatility
Volatility is the sudden, abrupt change that one cannot predict or anticipate. One can see that a situation may be prone to volatility, but it cannot be inferred the direction in which an event may lead. Characterized by rapid, unexpected change, Volatility can often take a person by surprise; however, that same person may run into some volatile situation almost every day. Because the characteristics of Volatility include rapidly shifting goals and changes in environmental conditions, a person’s original goal becomes harder to attain as a result of this Volatility.
When faced with volatile situations, individuals often freeze or swing for the fences in one direction or the other. One can tell Volatility is overwhelming when they find themselves jumping from one scenario to another in their minds, pivoting through multiple options rapidly. Volatile situations can get out of control because a person might be in shock from what is occurring, or they are not sure how to take care of what is happening.
If someone is able to handle Volatility well, they can thrive and move forward while others are still getting their bearings. Because everyone deals with the randomness of Volatility, the way everyone can manage it is through the power of routines. A routine is a sequence of tasks or activities that someone follows consistently, often daily. For some people, routines come naturally. For others, they are difficult to maintain.
It is important for everyone to keep a lookout because Volatility is always trying to undermine progress and plans! Even a seemingly simple routine, like eating breakfast every day at the same time before a morning virtual meeting, can be challenging for many people. The effort required to maintain them depends entirely on how each individual person thinks. While people cannot influence the Volatility that is present in the world, creating routines provides people with both metacognitive resilience and task efficiency.
It’s important to think through what personal routines are kept; they also give people the opportunity to analyze personal reactions to the event, how certain decisions came to be made as a result, and what could have gone differently. At any particular moment, the volatility might be too much for people to handle; but in the aftermath, an important aspect to reflect on is how the first response went. With practice, it’s possible to reflect and adapt to volatile situations in the moment. Furthermore, learning to apply what’s been reflected on and learned to novel situations is the ultimate metacognitive response to Volatility. It all starts with a routine. So what will your routine be?
