Reinterpreted adaptation in the VUCA world

By: Trademagazin editor Date: 2025. 02. 20. 20:30

There is a phenomenon called the VUCA world, where the acronym VUCA means: volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous.

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2025/2-3.

Guest writer:
Dr. Erzsébet Némedi biotechnologist and food engineer

The current state of the world forces us into a different form of existence than before. At the moment we don’t have the solutions to global, complex and extreme worldwide challenges. What is most worrying is the fact that the methods with which we have caused the problems don’t seem to work in solving them.

The term VUCA originated in the US military, used to describe the domino-like changes in circumstances after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Then the term spread to business and is now used to describe a post-pandemic, post-war and inflationary world, characterised by unprecedented volatility and disruption in value chains.

Food: you need it, but will you get it?

With the intimidating challenge facing humanity, the food industry also faces a gargantuan task: producing and distributing safe food in adequate quantity, while uncertain, complex and ambiguous challenges are emerging faster than ever before. If we continue on the same path we are walking on today, the food system won’t be able to feed an estimated 10 billion people by 2050. We must be willing to go beyond the boundaries that exist in our food system at the moment – which prevent us from collaborating more effectively, innovating and discovering better ways to address the challenges. We need to move away from isolated, specialised, fragmented, limited thinking and approaches, and adopt a holistic mindset for a broader food system. VUCA concepts address rapidly changing circumstances, which can be positive or negative. If we look at the dynamics of the food system today, it very much fits the definition of VUCA. The food system is increasingly volatile and the speed of transformation is increasing. This is influenced by a number of factors, including consumer preferences and technological innovation. As nutritional science is evolving, conflicting messages are communicated to consumers. Simple, easier-to-understand messages override balanced nutritional guidance backed by science, ultimately resulting in consumers becoming frustrated.

The acronym VUCA refers to the world: volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous

Thinking in terms of food systems

Research has also found that to address the grand VUCA challenges of the food system, we need to broaden the perspective of future leaders, in order to enable them to think beyond their current roles. We need to make sure these leaders understand the food system from interdependent and interoperable perspectives, including primary production, processing, procurement, sales and marketing, food safety and quality, and nutritional science concepts. The combination of a VUCA mindset and a food systems mindset will foster a more holistic approach to problem solving. In addition to training leaders who are aware of the VUCA nature of the food system, the commitment of all stakeholders in the system will be necessary to avert the crisis. Real impact can only be achieved if a food system mindset is mainstreamed across organisations and stakeholders. Research reveals that 3 system approaches are the basis for success: one of these is the move towards circular economies, the second is data communication through the interconnection of devices via the internet (IoT), and the third is the drive towards a global, collaborative, open and ethical market presence. //