The Language of the Changing World: VUCA and BANI
Source: https://marian-temmen.medium.com/bani-vs-vuca-a-new-acronym-for-a-new-world-59c7be2dddce
As you all know, we wake up in a different world daily. Time is changing very fastly. As the world is changing, the terms are changing that we use. We should adapt words to the situations that we are in. VUCA and BANI are excellent samples for this situation. They both appeared for different circumstances. Let’s examine them closely.
What is VUCA?
The VUCA term, created to explain Cold War times, defines modern war’s consequences. It was developed to describe the change in the world after the cold war and how the US army should act in a possible situation. It stands for;
Volatility: The word volatility is used to describe the frequency of changes. It describes the fluctuations of changing demands as the world changes. The volatility in the world is directly proportional to the rate of change. Uncertainty: This term describes the uncertainty created by some unpredictable events in the process of rapid change. The frequent changes in the world make forecasting and foresight difficult. Complexity: It refers to the redundancy of the factors we consider and the complexity resulting from the interconnection and interaction of these factors. Ambiguity: Ambiguity is used for situations where it is unclear how to interpret this information, even though it is precise. In summary, this word has been developed to emphasize the change in the world and how to behave in the face of this change. It aims to reduce the complexity resulting from the change.
What is BANI?
VUCA was no longer sufficient for the world that underwent a great change from the 1980s to 2020. For this reason, a new term emerged during the pandemic, BANI. It was used to address the changes brought about by the pandemic. BANI prepares us for new situations by allowing us to look at things from a different perspective.
Brittle: Brittle emphasizes that enterprises are fragile, and everything may fall apart with any disaster. Anxious: This term describes the anxiety that occurs due to the constant effort to “catch up” in business life. Nonlinear: Events proceed independently and disproportionately due to a disconnection brought about by time variability. For this reason, making long-term plans harms companies. Incomprehensible: When we look for some answers, the answers can cause misunderstanding or just don’t make sense. At this point, we may lose dominance. The term “Incomprehensible” is used for this case.
In summary, BANI explains the situation that business life has to face to face after Covid-19. Together with VUCA, we understood how to navigate volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous situations. But with climate change and the pandemic in 2020, new concepts emerged, and BANI aimed to prepare us for brittle, anxious, non-linear, and incomprehensible situations.
It is likely that larger differences await us over the years. It is evident that new terms will enter our lives with these changes. We will have to carry out our work with other meanings. Just like VUCA gave its place to BANI, BANI will be replaced by another term. In short, the world is changing rapidly.
All companies, large or small, need to follow these changes closely. They need to follow the change and analyze how to keep up with it. Otherwise, their chances of success will be very low. They cannot be prepared for every situation, but with quick grasp and quick action solutions, any situation can be successfully overcome.
Sources:
BANI or VUCA: Which is Your Vision of Reality?
BANI versus VUCA: a new acronym to describe the world
From a VUCA world to a BANI one: how uncertainty has changed and how your company can prepare
VUCA, BANI or RUPT
VUCA Out, BANI In
Author: İpek Mangtay
Published on: Jun 28, 2022
