We live in a VUCA World: the importance of responsible leadership

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to describe the role of responsible leadership in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper explains how responsible leadership is aligned with the critical success factors necessary to thrive in a VUCA world.

Findings

Critical success factors in the VUCA world are: sound business principles, a firm’s agility to respond speedily, strong collaborative networks, innovation and ethical practices. These are aligned with a responsible leadership style, which is a combination of transformational, servant and authentic leadership.

Socialimplications

This paper argues that responsible leadership embraces the broader societal issues and concerns based on ethical judgment.

Originality/value

This paper provides insights on how responsible leaders can meet the requirements of VUCA world.

Citation

Sarkar, A. (2016), "We live in a VUCA World: the importance of responsible leadership", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 30 No. 3, pp. 9-12. https://doi.org/10.1108/DLO-07-2015-0062