This open access book brings together works by specialists from different disciplines and continents to reflect on the nexus between leadership, spirituality and discernment, particularly with regard to a world that is increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA). The book spells out, first of all, what our VUCA world entails, and how it affects businesses, organizations, and societies as a whole. Secondly, the book develops new perspectives on the processes of leadership, spirituality, and discernment, particularly in this VUCA context. These perspectives are interdisciplinary in nature, and are informed by e.g. management studies, leadership theory, philosophy, and theology.

COVID-19 ravaged the United States and the rest of the world in a similar manner as a Category V hurricane would, leaving no one safe in its wake. Unlike a hurricane though, where appropriate provisions and supports are possible and past experiences can help to prepare, how do you prepare for something Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous such as a worldwide pandemic? Imagine having your high school graduation and prom ripped away from you with little to no warning. Imagine being a 40+ year professor and being told that “you are now going to teach hybrid with some students in the class and some students online,” or imagine that you were accepted into the 2nd most prestigious Ph.D. program in the United States and dream of being a professor and look for those face-to-face mentoring opportunities on campus. This book addresses the lived experiences of many throughout the onset, duration, and the after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and helps prepare readers for the never ending storm ahead. Our book offers guidance from leaders from different walks of life. We visit with a pastor who had to “get creative” to combat the pandemic, examine how school board members have interacted with parents and other community stakeholders, hear from a current superintendent in a large school district in Maine, and other stakeholders impacted by COVID-19. Our message is cautious, yet optimistic, to prepare the reader for life in a VUCA world.

VUCA is not just another acronym. Originally coined by the American military to describe a situation fraught with a variety of challenges, it now has a permanent place in the realms of strategic leadership. Those who have made it into an enterprise management role are finding that their leadership skills are truly being tried and tested on account of the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment we are in. Agility is now the name of the game. Developing one's leadership skills to match this requirement, and to not only surmount the challenges posed by the VUCA world but do so in a mature and authentic way, is what this book is all about. It gently submerges the reader into an impressive tank of knowledge that the authors, experts in the field of personal development, have amassed during their careers. Psychology, mythology and examples of real-life enterprises are accompanied by the excellent analogy of one of our best-known heroes, Luke Skywalker of the Star Wars films, to illustrate that there is nothing to fear, that we all have the potential to act courageously. At regular intervals throughout the book, the reader is presented with thought-provoking questions and statements, the answers to which will help them eventually resurface with a clear picture of how to use their skills and talents to motivate themselves and others to proceed wisely in the corporate landscape. Contents: An expert guide from three vastly experienced and accomplished executive coaches Learn effectively at your own pace, any time and anywhere Convincing background knowledge and examples

This book examines volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA) and addresses the need for broader knowledge and application of new concepts and frameworks to deal with unpredictable and rapid changing situations. The premises of VUCA can shape all aspects of an organization. To cover all areas, the book is divided into six sections. Section 1 acts as an introduction to VUCA and complexity. It reviews ways to manage complexity, while providing examples for tools and approaches that can be applied. The main focus of Section 2 is on leadership, strategy and planning. The chapters in this section create new approaches to handle VUCA environments pertaining to these areas including using the Tetralemma logics, tools from systemic structural constellation (SySt) approach of psychotherapy and organizational development, to provide new ideas for the management of large strategic programs in organizations. Section 3 considers how marketing and sales are affected by VUCA, from social media’s influence to customer value management. Operations and cost management are highlighted in Section 4. This section covers VUCA challenges within global supply chains and decision-oriented controlling. In Section 5 organizational structure and process management are showcased, while Section 6 is dedicated to addressing the effects of VUCA in IT, technology and data management. The VUCA forces present businesses with the need to move from linear modes of thought to problem solving with synthetic and simultaneous thinking. This book should help to provide some starting points and ideas to deal with the next era. It should not be understood as the end of the road, but as the beginning of a journey exploring and developing new concepts for a new way of management.

In this book, experts discuss whether volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA) represent a challenge or a business opportunity. More intense debates on global climate change, increased turbulence in financial quarters, increased job insecurity and high levels of stress at the workplace are attracting attention in the context of organization behavior and entrepreneurship. Fear and confusion have become part and parcel of business, often undermining trust, cooperation and inspiration. As a response, a new way of organizing self-management has emerged. The book combines practical wisdom from East and West, to develop integrative self-management theory and practice; provides direction to support an integrative mind-set, integrative organization and integrative leadership; and presents VUCA as an opportunity and necessity for development and growth, rather than a threat.

Agile Management and VUCA-RR provides cutting-edge, multidisciplinary research and expert insight into the advancing technologies and new strategies being used in businesses settings, as well as for administrative and leadership roles in organizations.

This volume brings together specialists from different disciplines and continents to discuss descriptive/diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analytics tools and how they might be used to investigate 'black swan' occurrences like the COVID-19-related worldwide catastrophe and the ramifications for managers and policymakers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has permanently changed lives around the world and no dimension of life and leadership seems to have been spared from its wrath. It has also stirred us into thinking about novel approaches to lead organizations and societies toward a shared, sustainable future. This book offers novel perspectives on leadership and change management after the COVID-19 pandemic that take us beyond striving for thriving—perspectives that are grounded in emergent theory, research and practice. It highlights sustainable leadership and change management strategies to effectively deal with unpredictable and rapidly changing situations—particularly in a world that is increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA). This book also highlights engaging perspectives by specialists from different disciplines such as business, psychology, education, and health care. It serves as a practical guide in identifying and responding to leadership challenges and opportunities in each of the four VUCA categories of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity—and how they affect businesses, organizations, and societies as a whole.

The easy way to become a more mindful leader Want to become a more mindful leader? With Mindful Leadership For Dummies, you'll find accessible and authoritative guidance for cultivating focus, clarity, and creativity from within your colleagues. Packed full of useful tips, this friendly how-to guide will help you incorporate mindfulness in your leadership style to manage and reap the benefits of a more attentive working life—all while nurturing compassion in the service of others. You'll discover how mindfulness can help improve decision-making and communication skills, manage modern workday challenges, and so much more. Mindful leadership is currently a high-trending topic in the self-help/business world, making headlines in such prominent publications as Forbes, Time magazine and The Guardian, and even earning a dedicated blog on Huffington Post. And all for good reason—the benefits of practicing mindfulness in the workplace are far-reaching, and as we begin to uncover more research that supports its effectiveness, it's no wonder business leaders are jumping aboard this positive bandwagon. Includes tips on incorporating mindfulness into your leadership style Shows you how mindfulness can help develop and deepen your leadership qualities Explains how mindfulness enhances productivity and minimizes the effects of stress in the workplace Outlines how adding mindfulness to your leadership approach will enable you to make positive choices that support your well-being If you're a businessperson looking to add mindfulness to your leadership tool belt, Mindful Leadership For Dummies has everything you need to get started today.

This handbook integrates the best leadership and followership theories and practices between the Global North-West (countries of Western individualistic cultures in Europe, North America, Australia and Oceana) and the Global South-East (countries of Eastern collectivistic cultures in Asia, Africa, South America, and South-East Asian and Oceana). There is a need to bring the Global North-West and the Global South-East together to address global challenges such as the climate change, global hunger and poverty, domestic and international terrorism, social justice, gender inequality, and domestic and global abuse of human and natural resources. This innovative volume proposes that the democratic leadership of the Global North-West and the human-centered followership of the Global South-East can transform the world if leadership and followership values, education, and practices are integrated. It utilizes findings from positive psychology, social psychology, organizational behavior, and world religions and contemplative wisdom traditions to highlight the case for global leadership and followership.