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For the past six months we have explored what it means to live and work in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) world, especially from the perspective of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ). Posts have illuminated VUCA from an intrapersonal, interpersonal, and systems perspective. We have explored the impact of the unrelenting pandemic, political polarization, the passage of extreme legislation that diminishes our human and civil rights, and a new hybrid work environment, among other topics.

Even though we are starting a new series next week, we continue to experience more VUCA daily. Since the start of the series, there have been many new events and revelations such as the war in Ukraine, evidence that the January 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capital was a planned attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential results, more tragic mass shootings, natural disasters, skyrocketing inflation, and the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade. There is widespread acknowledgement that our so-called democratic system is in jeopardy and we are in the midst of intense culture wars. And on top of all of this, there is a new virus (Monkeypox) that is spreading quickly across the planet.

We are truly a world in crisis characterized by political extremism, blatant racism, sexism, xenophobia, and homophobia. Domestic terrorism incidents in the U.S. have reached new highs according to a report in the Washington Post — primarily driven by white-supremacist, anti-Muslim, and anti-government groups.  Many of us do not feel safe. I have friends and associates who are planning to move to another country. I facilitated a session with leaders from a large global company recently, and many lamented that their employees are refusing to accept transfers from their current country to the U.S. because they fear for their safety and that of their children. 

I facilitated a session with leaders from a large global company recently, and many lamented that their employees are refusing to accept transfers from their current country to the U.S. because they fear for their safety. Click To Tweet

Not only are we living in VUCA times, we are living in very scary times.   

I have been proud to live in a country that strives to be a more perfect union. I have been proud to live in a country that is ruled by the people, for the people. I have been proud to live in a country that tries to live up to the words in the words in the Constitution — liberty and justice for all. Even though the country has a sordid history of racism and violence against non-white people, and we are yet to actualize our espoused values, legislation has attempted to correct these evils. Since the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that banned discrimination in public settings, and other similar legislation to correct societal inequities, there has been a movement to celebrate and honor our diversity — a movement that espouses our diversity makes us stronger. Of course, not everybody believes that. In a free country, no one dictates what we should think. However, over the last 50 years it seemed like we were inching ever so slowly toward a society where there was a shared mental model of how we should live the values of liberty and justice for all. I thought we were working in earnest to truly understand how to be inclusive. I am not sure of that anymore.

I feel like we have been living in a twilight zone for the past eight years. With the election of Donald Trump as president in 2016 we witnessed the blatant advancement of anti-inclusion rhetoric and policies. The country is more polarized than ever on issues related to equity and justice. Donald Trump attempted to build a wall at the southern border to keep immigrants from entering the country, which led to the inhumane treatment of separating children from their parents and detaining children in deplorable conditions in detention centers. As of 2022, children have yet to be reunited with their parents. The COVID-19 Pandemic killed over one million people in the U.S. from 2020-2022 — disproportionately Black and Brown. Experts believe one-third of the deaths could have been avoided if there had been stronger mask mandates. In 2020, we witnessed racial unrest over the number of police killings of Black people like George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, like we had not seen since the Civil Rights Era of the sixties. These types of killings continue. Gun violence is “out of control” in the U.S. and even with mass shootings that have killed classrooms full of innocent school children, legislators will not pass legislation that would go far enough to ban assault weapons or even increase the legal purchase age from 18.

If someone had asked me when I started my business 38 years ago to predict where we would be as a society today relative to equity and justice, I certainly would not have envisioned the intense culture wars that we find ourselves experiencing. I would have said that I am confident that we will see more equity in all aspects of society — educational attainment, accumulation of wealth, workforce and workplace outcomes, and other socio-economic indicators. I would have said that racism, sexism, homophobia, would be mostly behind us and that we would be living in a world largely characterized by respect for and acceptance of our diversity. Sadly, that is not the case. 

If someone asked me when I started my business 38 years ago to predict where we would be today relative to equity and justice, I would have been confident that we'd see more equity in all aspects of society. Sadly, that is not the… Click To Tweet

The culture wars see people fighting for dominance of their beliefs and values as to what constitutes human rights. There are diametrically opposing views on the meaning of equality, equity, and justice and who has the right to decide. For example, even though a majority of Americans believed that Roe v. Wade should be upheld, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court overturned the ruling. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, in his written opinion on Roe v. Wade, said that the high Court should also “reconsider” the rulings that currently protect the right to buy and use contraceptives without government restriction, the right to a same-sex relationship, and the right to same-sex marriage. These trends concern me — that the powers that be can take away rights that many of us thought were safely etched in law in perpetuity quite frankly scares me.

Workplace efforts to create equitable environments are just over 50 years old too. And they have not been without opposition. For example, affirmative action put into place in 1965 by Executive Order 11246, is an attempt to correct systems that excluded BIPOC from equitable representation and participation in the workforce and workplace. Over the years, aspects of affirmative action have been struck down by the Supreme Court on the basis of “reverse discrimination.” What other actions that diminish protections of BIPOC in the workplace might be on the horizon as we traverse through these culture wars? For example, in April 2022, Ron DeSantis the governor of Florida, signed into law House Bill 7, a law dubbed the “Stop Woke” act, which limits how employers can talk about race and gender in training. 

Aspects of affirmative action have been struck down by the Supreme Court on the basis of 'reverse discrimination.' What other actions that diminish protections of BIPOC in the workplace might be on the horizon? Click To Tweet

How can we navigate this scary VUCA world? 

At the individual level, we need to continue to take care of ourselves, prioritizing our own well-being. The Inclusion Solution shares frequent posts with recommendations on how to do that. At the interpersonal level, we can reach out more often to those close to us to check on their well-being. We can have conversations that are empathic and supportive while setting and honoring boundaries so as not to trigger and retraumatize. To impact at the societal level, we can make sure that we vote at the local, county, and national levels. City councils and local school boards have more power than we might think to protect or dismantle our rights. If interested, you could run for office or support other candidates who want to preserve and further democratic ideals.

City councils and local school boards have more power than we think to protect or dismantle our rights. If interested, you could run for office or support candidates who want to preserve and further democratic ideals. Click To Tweet

The VUCA world will probably never go away completely as change is constant, but we can certainly continue to strive to recognize our common humanity.