Ready for the BANI world?

The world is constantly changing, we already got that, but the truth is that up to the beginning of the year we seemed to ignore this fact. The pandemic came up and ruined each and every plan we’ve made based on the old model, because in the current world scenario, the answers we had no longer made sense, after all, all of the questions had changed.

What we had learned to do in the 20th century no longer works. We must update our systems and methods – the new age has been knocking on our door and we can no longer ignore it. 

In the previous article, related to the first part of the conversation with André Pinheiro - Training Manager and MBA Professor, we’ve learned about the VUCA WORLD, which explains the world as Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous, but according to futurist Jamais Cascio, this is an outdated model of seeing the world and, according to him, we are currently living the so-called BANI WORLD (Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear and Incomprehensible), which is a result of the VUCA world and how people behave faced with all the changes that happen.

If you're feeling confused, read on and I'll try to summarize the conversation I had with André and share some tips he brought on how to get ready and not get lost in the twists and turns of this world. 

BANI WORLD

Credit: Stephan Grabmeier

Although many of us must be hearing and reading about it now for the first time, this term appeared in 2018, long before the pandemic started, at an event held at the Institute for The Future, claimed by Jamais Cascio. According to him, the BANI world is a natural evolution of society reflected by the actions and attitudes adopted in the VUCA world.

B (brittle) - The frantic changes that took place in the VUCA world generated a fragility in the BANI world, as our brain has not been able to keep up with these changes as quick as we would like to, therefore this lack of control makes us fragile.

André emphasizes that the benefits of technological advances are undeniable, however the world has become more vulnerable and weaker. We can take a simple example: we no longer know how to live without an electronic device. If our cell phone breaks, we feel helpless and defenseless. The fragility of this world is not limited to people – nowadays, everything breaks, crumples and can be easily damaged.

A (anxious) - All the uncertainty of the VUCA world and its unpredictability brings us anxiety. In the BANI world, I feel anxious about not being able to keep up with all these changes. It's easy to notice such consequence when we look at depression rates. The certainty we no longer have makes us ill. 

N (nonlinear) - The complexity of the VUCA world makes us constantly change route - in the BANI world, we miss walking in a straight line. Today we no longer know where things are coming from or where they are going to – they just come out of nowhere, next thing you know they’re already gone.

We are no longer aware of cause and effect; we have no linearity. Back then we used to do a 1-year strategic plan, nowadays we must redo it every 3 months – it’s impossible to follow the same plan for so long.

This year of 2020 was a clear example of this, and André brought us a practical and real example: “Here at the company, we started the year strictly following the route we've laid out, but in March everything had to be redefined in a hurry, everything has been changed. “Don't worry, it's temporary. In July things will go back to normal” – they didn’t. I believe the whole year will be like this, so we must learn, unlearn and relearn”.

I (incomprehensible) - The ambiguity that was experienced in the VUCA world created an incomprehensible world. Today, in the BANI world, we can no longer understand anything, we are increasingly realizing that the more we seek to know, the less we know. 

The lack of logic leaves us with an overload of information, unsure about which is the right/reliable decision to make. As journalist Quinn Norton has pointed out, “even a Windows desktop is so complex that not even those who created it really know how it works or what's going on there”. 

WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH ALL THIS AND HOW CAN I GET READY?

The first step, as André shared with us, is “to choose how to internalize all this information”. If you look at it and see it as a problem you will have a harder time dealing with everything that happens and changes, but if you choose to look at these definitions as an opportunity to better see and structure what is happening in the world, it will all serve as answers to the new questions that arise.

We must be resilient to understand the changes and deal with the fragility of this moment. Work on your RESILIENCE to adapt to this new world. You don't need to know and follow everything that happens, so don't blame yourself for that, just try to know, learn, and try again.

“The behavioral skill that can help you with anxiety is, above all, EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE – those who have their self-knowledge well worked out, who are familiar with their limitations and weaknesses, are able to better deal with unpredictability and with the fact that they are not aware of everything that happens”, added André.

When you understand your limitations, you tend to have more empathy with people, you react better to how they behave, you become more tolerant and less judgmental, therefore you understand how to address them with a type of speech that is easier to understand.

The world’s non-linearity demands us to be a bit more cold-blooded in order to make better decisions. André mentioned that we must have COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY, which is nothing more than the ability to innovate, seek and create a different path. To open the mind to what is coming, to accept the new. To allow oneself to try, to know how things work. If the tools are out there, why not?

You don't need to know everything, but don't miss the opportunity to progress and grow, allow yourself to break the routine and try new things. Feed your CREATIVITY, test the same thing in different ways. The more innovative, the easier it is to follow your paths.

I hope you’ve understood a bit more about these two worlds and the essential skills required for this transition, have a good journey!