Suhayl Abidi - The Vuca Learner: Future-Proof Your Relevance

SAGE was founded in 1965 by Sara Miller McCune to support the dissemination of usable knowledge by publishing innovative and high-quality research and teaching content. Today, we publish over 900 journals, including those of more than 400 learned societies, more than 800 new books per year, and a growing range of library products including archives, data, case studies, reports, and video. SAGE remains majority-owned by our founder, and after Saras lifetime will become owned by a charitable trust that secures our continued independence.

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The authors of The VUCA Company have advanced the scholarly contribution with its sequel, The VUCA Learner . They have tried to express how in a VUCA world the learner must be prepared to unlearn and then relearn in order to counter the unexpected and unknown. This text is a must-read for all those preparing for a leadership role.

David Ahlstrom, Professor, Department of Management,
The Chinese University of Hong Kong;
Senior Editor, Journal of World Business

In a truly turbulent and unpredictable (VUCA) world, this book identifies what it will take to produce learners who are sufficiently able to dive into experience with others without fear, fully engage, step back and learn from their experiencesyet be ready to relearn again and again. Since students both desire this and are scared to death of it, it is a monumental undertaking but totally necessary for economic and societal survival.

Allan R. Cohen, Distinguished Professor of Global Leadership,
Babson College, Massachusetts;
Co-author, Influence Without Authority

There may be no more important issue facing labour markets than helping people be more adaptable in their work and careers. Markets are more competitive and rapidly evolving than in the past. Careers are less likely to be along defined paths within a single company. Artificial intelligence is changing jobs in dramatic ways. More skilled jobs are being automated than ever before. To stay ahead, we need to invest in the cognitive, social and innovation skills that distinguish humans from machines. This book comes at exactly the right time, with exactly the right topic. Good luck with your new book.

Michael Gibbs, Clinical Professor of Economics,
University of Chicago Booth School of Business Research;
Fellow, IZA-Institute of Labor Economics

The VUCA Company provided insights on the failures in a VUCA world. The same authors, in their sequel, The VUCA Learner , have expanded their research and insights into how learners should react in unexpected and unknown scenarios. Leaders, working in a networked digital world, will find this book useful and inspiring, which will help them survive and prosper in a VUCA world.

Graham Kendall, Provost and CEO, and Professor of Computer
Science, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus;
Pro Vice Chancellor, University of Nottingham

A wonderful little book, full of inspiring insights.

Gerard McElwee, Professor of Entrepreneurship,
Huddersfield Business School, University of Huddersfield;
Editor, International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation

The VUCA Learner is an interesting book which brings new insights into mechanisms of learning in a VUCA world. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who may need not only inspiration but also very useful tips about how to become a VUCA learner.

Aidin Salamzadeh, Editor-in-Chief,
Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics

VUCA describes perfectly what is happening in the global business world today. Observation, absorption, self-validation combined with selective application are the tools for individuals to swim in this ocean of digital networks.

Nalin Jain, Senior ConsultantSME, Innovation and
Entrepreneurship Trade and Competitiveness, World Bank

Reading this book would be must for practitioners, academicians and researchers who deal with uncertainty of ever-changing context of business. Delighted to go through it.

Pankaj Kumar, Professor of Human Resource Management and
Organizational Behaviour, Indian Institute of Management Lucknow

Thinking outside the box to solve problems of today and yet imagining an innovation-filled bright future. In this sequel to their VUCA Company , Suhayl Abidi and Manoj Joshi enrich the readers with their wisdom, intellect, analytic rigour and pragmatism.

Tojo Thatchenkery, Professor and Director, Schar School of
Policy and Government, George Mason University, Virginia;
Co-author, Appreciative Intelligence: Seeing the
Mighty Oak in the Acorn

The VUCA Learner provides considerable insight into learning and the demands placed on the learning in the continuing rise of the knowledge age where the individual must excel at continuous learning.

Roger R. Stough, University Professor,Schar School of Policy
and Government, George Mason University

Copyright Suhayl Abidi and Manoj Joshi, 2018

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilised in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

First published in 2018 by

Published by Vivek Mehra for SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd, typeset in 13/16 pts Adobe Garamond Pro by Fidus Design Pvt. Ltd., Chandigarh.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Abidi, Suhayl, author. | Joshi, Manoj, author.

Title: The VUCA learner: future-proof your relevance / Suhayl Abidi and Manoj Joshi.

Description: New Delhi, India: SAGE Publications India, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018022458 (print) | LCCN 2018024200 (ebook) | ISBN 9789352807536 (Web PDF) | ISBN 9789352807529 (E Pub 2.0) | ISBN 9789352807512 (pbk.: alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Organizational learning. | EmployeesTraining of. | Knowledge management. | Organizational change.

Classification: LCC HD58.82 (ebook) | LCC HD58.82 .A3135 2018 (print) | DDC 650.1/3dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018022458

ISBN: 978-93-528-0753-6 (epub)

SAGE Team: Manisha Mathews, Sandhya Gola, Madhurima Thapa and Rajinder Kaur

Dedicated to our parents

A successful career will no longer be about promotion.
It will be about mastery.

Michael Hammer,
Author of Reengineering the Corporation

The VUCA Learner explores the opportunities of VUCA versus the threats. VUCA, understood in business to stand for volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous, takes on a different and far more positive meaning in this book. Here, VUCA stands for vision, understanding, clarity and agility.