Managers’ Changing Role in a VUCA World

Classified under: Articles and readings, Blog Date: 23 February 2021

Many managers have failed to evolve alongside changing organizational needs.

For nearly a century, management has been conceived according to Henri Fayol’s five default functions. Planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling. This was all perfectly valid before a VUCA landscape became the norm.

Indeed, AI is progressively replacing many human tasks. Consequently, managers are expected to think more about how digitalization can harm or help business instead of supervise people. Similarly, companies need to be agile and entrepreneurial when facing a volatile and unpredictable environment. For this reason, managers must promote fluid change and adaptation. So less micromanaging and more empowering. And greater innovation versus merely perpetuating the status quo. Managers should also proactively focus on better ways of doing things rather than merely react and solve immediate problems.

Another changing factor is the increasing complexity of information to be considered for sound decision-making. Thus, pooling diverse expertises and complementary ideas must replace a confined top-down leadership. Finally, employees should be encouraged to please the boss less and focus more on new trends, customer needs and competitors’ latest moves. Full article: Harvard Business Review

For 20 years, Vicario Consulting has been monitoring the impact of global socio-economic trends on HR management. This has led us to develop a competency framework that addresses today’s new management challenges. Our recruitment / development assessments rely on these 8 universal skill-sets. Read more