Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity are the day-to-day we have learned to work with after deep reflection.
A pandemic with more than six waves that paralysed the world, all the economic effects it brought with it, the consequent halt in the world production of components, the shortage of chips; 25 years after the last conflict, an unexpected war in Europe, accompanied by an incredible rise in the cost of energy. The last two years will go down in the books as one of the most turbulent and unstable times in Western history. These events and many others currently covered by the media constitute an explosive cocktail, the outcome of which fills us with uncertainty.
Against this backdrop, organisations are operating in a VUCA environment, characterised by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. This concept was forged in the 1990s by American soldiers and corresponds to the acronym formed by the terms Volatility (V), Uncertainty (U), Complexity (C) and Ambiguity (A). But what is the VUCA environment for companies? A scenario in which corporations are forced to adapt to changes that constantly attack their strategic programming and professional routines.
In the industrial environment, we are living through one of the strangest times in living memory. Supplier delivery dates, once immovable and infallible, dance around the difficulties of production, logistics and transport costs. Component prices are rising and energy, which radiates throughout the production and transport chain, is unpredictable. This situation accelerates our heart rate and forces us to exercise patience, resignation and temperance.
Faced with this scenario, at Integralia we have reflected on how to deal with the management of this VUCA environment. Our conclusion entails a strong commitment to focus business strategy on knowledge and predictability, approaching it from two complementary perspectives:
- Constant training in an environment in which new technological advances make it necessary to update our knowledge almost immediately in order to be able to commit to innovation in all our products.
- A correct and effective capacity to face changes and deal with the problems and difficulties that arise. For which it is essential to work on values such as effort and perseverance. We have to foresee possible changes before they occur and visualise the possible consequences in a domino effect that sometimes seems infinite.
Over the last year, during which we have been committed to this model, at Integralia we have learned a lot about the needs of the market. Along the way, we have tested our patience and that of everyone around us, but I am confident that we have maintained the trust of our customers, given that the fluid relationship that has always characterised us has become even stronger in the face of the difficulties we have all been involved in.
May we forget the word VUCA and quickly return to a stable environment in which to work. If my wishes do not come true soon, I am confident that we at Integralia have already passed the test of doing our best in a highly volatile environment. We know how to act smoothly, solidly and consistently towards our clients. Our team maintains the values of honesty, closeness and professionalism with which Integralia has grown since it was founded. We have established very specific protocols on how to act when one of the dominoes falls. We have managed to maintain the trust of the clients who contact us every day in their darkest moments and we will continue to do so in the face of any instability, on a day-to-day basis.