VUCA (Volatility Uncertainty Complexity Ambiguity) which was introduced by the US military in the 90’s, has a lot to do with the contemporary whirlwind of digital disruptions which have deprived the organizations of their state of "doneness.” 

Connected customers have added an interesting streak to the whole VUCA paraphernalia- the anytime and everywhere customers have condensed the time between innovators and challengers. Meru cabs enjoyed their monopoly for close to eight years when their catchy “44224422” was distorted by app only cab aggregators Uber and Ola. Customer convenience is, of course, the acceptable part of a VUCA environment.

As much as the “Customer is the king,” the human-resource is at the receiving end of a VUCA environment.

From the year 2000 listings, more than 52% of companies in the Fortune 500 list have disappeared mainly because of digital commotion. Simply put, the digital mindset is the aptitude and attitude of organizations and workforce to supplement or complement every day working with digital means; not to be mistaken with a presence on social media.

Why are the unicorns of the industrial age struggling now? The same organizations are wreathing to survive as their comfort zones of fixed processes, fixed teams and fixed outcomes are being smeared by uncertain, ambiguous and complex digital fuzziness.

Let us understand the term BLUR, the VUCA progeny of digital disruptions-

B – Boundary-less Organization and Industries:

The external and internal contours of an organization are losing their definitive. Standalone functional teams, be its sales, marketing, products are blurring away. The evolving eco-system of an organization is making it a lot more porous and transparent. Majority of the workforce is beyond the organizational boundaries.

L – Limitless Digitization:

Today practically everything we see in physical form can become digital the moment we add a sensor to it or put it on the cloud– so how would organizations and leaders behave and act in an environment which is surrounded by data and intelligence.

U – Unbounded Innovation:

The third element is unbounded innovation. Many technology trends like blockchain, bitcoin, and connected automated cars can impact many industries all at once. Think about connected cars, it’s not just impacted the automobile industry, it will impact the airline industry, it will impact the motel industry, and it might impact insurance industry as well. 

R – Relentless Iteration:

In the industrial age, you would say I am done with the production of a product the minute manufacturing is done. But in the digital world, there is not a dull moment as things are always evolving and always arriving.

Organisations need to assess and gauge talent readiness to adopt technology in everyday working in the digital age. An organization’s digital strategy should not only cascade into execution but should also reflect on leadership and culture as well steering towards Digital BLUR by

1. Building eco-systems in response to the boundary-less phenomena

2. Learn to use data as a part of the everyday decision making

3. Incubate design thinking

4. Adapt agility to accomplish tasks in more innovative ways

Digital is not just about technologies; it is the organization’s way of working with a digital mindset. Organisations that don't have a clear plan end up chasing technology fads without any concrete outcomes.