As a leader who’s on top of all the relevant trends you may know there’s a shift in how we describe our increasingly uncertain business world.

Hold on to your hat – there are new acronyms in town…

Now you’ll be familiar with VUCA – Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. It’s a term coined in the ‘80s by Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus in their book “Leaders: the strategy for taking charge”. They believed that resilience in leadership was fundamental to keep pace with a changing world.

But VUCA’s not cutting it anymore. We want new, more nuanced ways to describe this bin fire of a world we’re living in.

And some of the acronyms are as hilarious as they are terrifying…

First up you’ve got BANI – Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear and Incomprehensible, invented by Jamais Caisco from the ‘Institute for the Future’ in California, USA. (To me BANI sounds a bit like the massage you should have to sort your back out, that won’t be in any way enjoyable.)

Then there’s the trauma-inducing RUPT – Rapid, Unpredictable, Paradoxical and Tangled. Used by the Centre for Creative Leadership in the USA, this term has its origins in military language. (To me RUPT sounds like an unfortunate medical procedure – “Oh no, poor love! Are you in for your RUPT today?”)

And the rather comical TUNA – Turbulent, Uncertain, Novel and Ambiguous. Used by Oxford university in their executive education programme. (Sadly, TUNA just makes me think ‘melt’ – with apologies to my veggie and vegan friends – and then just makes my hungry.) 

‘So what?’ – you might say – ‘Whatever phrase you use, it’s a s**t show out there right now!’

Or the harsh but fair – ‘Someone’s just invented a new acronym to sell their book, programme and lecture tour’.

But there are three good reasons why they might be useful.

1. Language and terminology are a way into a conversation. And a new term might be a new way to engage your teams, peers or stakeholders to help you explore where people are and what you’re really facing.
2. Naming a problem correctly is the best way of fixing it. Whatever terrifying or hilarious phrase you use, if the words better sum up what you’re experiencing, it might give you greater clarity on what to do about it.
3. In a tough old world, it’s a little bit funny.

Over to you - there’s a prize for your best 4-letter acronym.