Conclusions
Optimizing is actually important to keep in mind when considering any of the six conditions of VUCA-Plus. We must find a reasonable and perhaps flexible set-point as we act in favor of one side or another in addressing the challenge inherent in each of these conditions. We must lean toward the space that separates both columns. This open middle space allows for movement to the center and reconciliation of these two columns. Finding these acceptable optimum responses and repeatedly redefining them is the key to polarity management.
We must be flexible in both our appreciation and our integration of the diverse and polarizing perspectives to be found with regard to all six VUCA-Plus conditions. Barry Johnson has one more important point to make regarding the management of polarities. He identifies the value inherent in setting up an alarm system as a safeguard against overshooting either side of the polarity. It would be prudent to build in an alarm system that warns us when we may be trying to maximize one side and are on the verge of triggering the negative reactions coming from the other side. As in the case of kayaking in the midst of turbulence, we must seek both balance and forethought in addressing the challenges of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity, turbulence and contradiction.
The Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion must manage the polarities in their own 21st Century life if they are to be productive members of their society. They no longer have Dorothy to serve but do have equally as deserving members of their own community to serve with wisdom, heart and bravery. The Wizard might join them in this endeavor. As for Dorothy, Wilhelm and Mosie, there are personal challenges to face as they seek to navigate a world that is quite different from the 1930s of Oz and North America. For these three actors (one fictional and two real), there are the challenges of finding a world that is real rather than being a figment of their own imagination and ambition. None of them are in their own Kansas anymore. Dorothy, Wilhelm and Moise also face the even greater challenge of learning and leaning into their future. They each hold the opportunity to help create a new world that builds on and further enhances benefits to be found and appreciated in their current world.
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