Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA)

The US military was one of the first organizations to use the VUCA acronym, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. Military planners were worried about the radically different and unfamiliar international security environment that had emerged, so they used VUCA to describe it: (1) Volatile – change is rapid and unpredictable in its nature and extent, (2) Uncertain – the present is unclear and the future is uncertain, (3) Complex – many interconnected factors come into play, often causing chaos and confusion and (4) Ambiguous – there is a lack of clarity or awareness about situations.