Combination of academic and commercial learning into a modified teaching approach, a mixed project based learning framework to investigate competencies that students should acquire to prepare their future as engineers and a development of knowledge landscapes by transforming and integrating existing and context-dependent knowledge

http://icee2007.dei.uc.pt/proceedings/papers/348.pdf

It's probably the 2 airplane incidents that vividly brought HOME to me that we are living in a VUCA WORLD.  As an educator and researcher, I want to do my best to be a MASTER RATHER THAN A VICTIM.  AND ALSO EQUIP MY STUDENTS WITH HARD SKILLS AND SOFT SKILLS TO MASTER THIS VUCA WORLD.  (I wish to hear from you too.)

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/08/29/Khazanah-unveils-12point-plan/

Combination of academic and commercial learning into a modified teaching approach, a mixed project based learning framework to investigate competencies that students should acquire to prepare their future as engineers and a development of knowledge landscapes by transforming and integrating existing and context-dependent knowledge

http://icee2007.dei.uc.pt/proceedings/papers/348.pdf

This VUCA world has been made, this way, by politicians. The politicians ,in many parts of the world, are university graduates. Sometimes, the scholars underestimate their potential in affecting the world events. Had the scholars instilled some ethics besides the knowledge taught, then the world would have become a better place. It is well-known that you cannot, as a scholar, talk too much about ethics in lectures because this will cause troubles for you from the administration. However, you can use the free time or the office hours to "plant" one or two moral codes (such as honesty & respect for others) in your students & these values ( if given in an effective manner) will have long-term outcomes. Luckily,  the administration of our university,  has obliged 10 office hours/week to each one of us "the academic staff". I hope that we will utilize part of these hours in affecting behaviors of our students.

@Krishnan, thanks for a good link on hard skills ans soft skills in engineering education.

'Through hands-on projects, students from different academic years work together in students led teams aimed to achieve something with real value. They have the opportunity to develop and improve their responsibility, communication, leadership, management and entrepreneurship, among other skills. That leads to a process of education and innovation on engineering,outside the classroom. 

These skills are most important for leaders to influence and inspire the work of others. This paper addresses the main factors on which student’s initiative, responsibility and effective leadership are built upon and tries to draw a set of useful guidelines to the university education of young people.'

Thanks dear Dr Nizar.  I am happy that you see that as lecturers, we have ways and means to reach out to our students.  We won't give up despite difficulties.

This pic provides some simple approaches/ suggestions to adapt to a VUCA world.  But it's not sure that there won't be hiccups and difficulties.

furthermore education in Malaysia must be integrate material and spiritual among the student life. you can refer to the article

Teaching methods should be modified to include all factors that lead to  this existing VUCA WORLD. The following report entitled: "Advice and How-Tos

Talent Strategies for a Turbulent VUCA World — Shifting to an Adaptive Approach" 

by  John Sullivan discusses this issue. Even the most optimistic business leaders have begun to realize that the incredible business turbulence that we have been undergoing for the last decade isn’t going to end. In fact, turbulence, volatility, and continuous rapid change are likely to become the “new normal.” Recently an excellent research study by the leading consulting firm BCG effectively identified and then quantified this high level of turbulence. A summary of some of their key findings include:

Turbulence strikes more often than in the past — More than ½ of the most turbulent quarters over the past 30 years have been in the past decade.

Turbulence has increased in intensity – Volatility in revenue growth, in revenue ranking, and in operating margins have all more than doubled since the 1960s.

Turbulence today persists much longer than in preceding periods – The average duration of periods of high turbulence has quadrupled over the past three decades.

Turbulence in key business results – key business areas including revenue growth, profitability, and industry rank have all shown triple-digit percentage increases over the last few decades. See the link:

http://www.ere.net/2012/10/22/talent-strategies-for-a-turbulent-vuca-world-shifting-to-an-adaptive-approach/

I agree with Abedallah that teaching methods play a significant role in this regard. They should have all the factors which might lead to VUCA.

I agree with Krishnan on this matter.

Knowledge may and/or might be the best preparation for any situation - condition and/or circumstance!

Period!

Thanks @Elmi, for your paper, on the religious commitment of senior citizens who are residing in nursing homes in Malaysia.  I believe that religious teachings and practices will contribute positively to a person's ability to survive and master this Vuca world.

'Though at the older age, their responsibility to Allah is an obligation that should be fulfilled. There are older persons who allocate some of their time at older age to

perform religious responsibilities and rituals, but there are numbers who are still busy with work and ignores the importance of later age to perform ibadah and good deeds.'

Thanks @Prof Abedallah for a great link.  Yes, Malaysian airlines removed 6000 employees; applying Jack Welch's philosophy!  Now, I quote from your link:

'If the rate of change inside your firm is slower than the rate of change occurring outside your firm, your end is in sight. --Jack Welch’s philosophy

Even the most optimistic business leaders have begun to realize that the incredible business turbulence that we have been undergoing for the last decade isn’t going to end. In fact, turbulence, volatility, and continuous rapid change are likely to become the “new normal.”'

@Shankadeep and all, do you agree that within an organization, only the DELIVER RESULTS AND LIVE BY VALUES OF ORGANIZATION should be allowed to remain, when a firm re-structures?  Those who lack BOTH will be the first to go, then those who LACK ONE QUALITY. So that 'the rate of change is as fast in the firm as outside?  What do you all think?

dear all...as I'm in Malaysia for the last 12 years or so, i can assure that starting from this country we can unify our knowledge, skills and ethics to help this world standing again after what I consider the worst 10 years i ever saw...everything rapidly go down around the world and as Dr. Nizar @ Dr. Nizar Matar said it's all done by politicians and although we are not politicians but our knowledge works...tq

Being super busy, doesn't mean that we live in a VUCA world. If being busy prohibit us from doing things that we love, then the most apparent reason is that we don't plan well for our time.

That is to say, we as researchers, mostly are not capable of managing our time efficiently. This certainly is a skill that needs a training! I hope that all scientific institutes will include some obligatory time management courses for all scientific researchers.

Interesting classification indeed. The answer is, again, that we can be limited masters and limited victims, since not all the processes are controlable in principle. A control-thoerist could write many pages on this, I just mention it.

But we can offer to our societies the so called collective memory in order to avoid, as long as is possible, the repetition of the same disasters.

@Miranda, a very volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous answer.

I try to do my better with this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0rA7UltCaI

Dear Miranda, a complex system cannot be mastered or controlled, no matter how. The best you can do is harnessing complexity.

A fine-tuned argument in favor of harnessing complexity has been provided by R. Axelrod and M. Cohen.

Harnessing complexity, of course does not entail giving up: quite on the contrary.

@Yehya, I'm not so sure that things are likely to be stable.  I quote again: 'Even the most optimistic business leaders have begun to realize that the incredible business turbulence that we have been undergoing for the last decade isn’t going to end. In fact, turbulence, volatility, and continuous rapid change are likely to become the “new normal.”'

And which politicians can you say are responsible for this state of affairs?  My friends said to me that the person who's really respected was Dr.Mahathir, when he was the Prime minister.

Dear @Alaa, thanks for your comment.  Even though we live in a busy world, we cannot afford to be so caught up that we forget the needful.  So I do practice time management quite well today,  just have time to post replies on this thread to you all.  I was busy working on my papers, and re-phrasing my new papers.

https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_can_researchers_do_to_avoid_self-plagiarism_What_are_the_consequences_since_self-plagiarism_was_highlighted_by_APA_6th_edition

Dear Demetris, yes, 'we can offer to our societies the so called collective memory in order to avoid, as long as is possible, the repetition of the same disasters'.  We learn from history, otherwise history repeats itself, and wrong actions are repeated again and again to our great loss. (Thanks @ dear Enzo and Carlos.  Enzo, a complex situation needs a complex answer indeed.  Carlos, do you have any links to add on harnessing comlexity?)

Dear @Miranda, regardless of frameworks to better understand VUCA or to assess the degree of uncertainty in an industry, three practices can be used to drive better choices in a VUCA world. These are: identify blind spots, train yourself to think differently and learn from the successes and failures of others! "Regardless of whether an environment is characterised by volatility, uncertainty, complexity or ambiguity, these three simple truths, underpinned by an ability to clearly articulate where the organization is headed, lay the groundwork for an organization capable of balancing performance with learning over the long term"

http://decisionstrat.com/ok-its-a-vuca-world-now-what/

Dear @Miranda, LEADERSHIP SKILLS FOR A VUCA WORLD video follows!  10 leadership skills that are essential for leading in a VUCA world are treated!

http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/programs/other_programs/executive_education/advanced_management/vuca_video

The VUCA world calls for constant communication, transparent exchanges, and action over procrastination. Communities and teams of diverse people have to work together to solve complex and emerging challenges through innovative and creative means. This is where I keep harping on my theme of workplaces as communities, and enterprise social networks as platforms for communication and learning. The VUCA ecosystem no longer lends itself to standard operating procedures, best practices based on past experiences and a handful of executive taking strategic decisions while the employees comply and carry out orders. Dealing with ambiguity is the name of the game

http://idreflections.blogspot.in/2015/01/the-importance-of-being-agile-in-vuca.html

Thanks for your link, Profs Ljubomir and Umachandran.  Good links, and helpful.

'We are well aware that to survive and thrive in the VUCA world, we need to be agile in all respects – in learning, towards change, regarding work as well as life. We talk about learning agility, organizational agility, individual agility, agile as a philosophy and much more.

1. Adaptive over predictive

2. Collaboration over documentation

3. Continuous feedback over periodic reviews

4. Specialization over generalization'

Fine book on VUCA world! " The book “LEAN Supply Chain Planning – The New Supply Chain Management Paradigm for Process Industries to Master Today’s VUCA World” introduces a new and innovative approach to managing variability, uncertainty, and complexity in today’s planning processes and systems..."

http://www.amazon.com/Lean-Supply-Chain-Planning-Management/dp/1482205335/

http://www.camelot-mc.com/en/press/press-releases/press-archive-2014/vuca-world-forces-today-new-ways-of-working-in-scm-holistic-practioners-guide-for-lean-supply-chain-planning/

Thanks dear Prof Ljubomir, it's a good link.  Although I'm not a business person, I'm learning a lot.  Perhaps one day, when we all retire, we should do some business in science.  (And we can include friends who haven't got a job.)   Let's learn all we can to survive in a VUCA world...

"Many global supply chains in process industries are neither equipped nor orchestrated to cope effectively with the challenges of the new VUCA world we are facing. The VUCA world describes the conditions of increasing variability and uncertainty of demand, and the complexity and ambiguity of product portfolios and supply chain networks.

'More and more companies are relying on LEAN Supply Chain Planning (LEAN SCP) designed expressly to simplify existing planning processes and to improve the synchronization and variability management of global supply chains, as well as to overcome the drawbacks of traditional planning systems.'

In the present VUCA world, traditional way of leadership is becoming obsolete and professional managers expect their teams to be more proactive and communicate openly. Also with the upsurge in the outsourcing industry, many professionals and subject matter experts have to directly deal with their domestic and overseas clients on a regular basis. Soft skills are becoming more critical than ever as organizations struggle to find meaningful ways to remain competitive and be productive. Soft skills like communication, flexibility & adaptability, dependability, ability in goal setting, time management taking directions well are increasingly becoming the hard skills of today's workforce. Now-a-days, to be highly trained in technical skills is just not enough, without developing the softer, interpersonal and relationship-building skills that help people to communicate and collaborate effectively. Teamwork, leadership, and communication are underpinned by soft skills development. Since both hard and soft skill is the essential element for organizational and personal success, developing soft skills in addition to hard skill is very important today and the times ahead.

Thanks Yogesh, it's a well synthesized discussion that you have presented.  Soft skills are needed by all of us in a VUCA world, that's why I put this phrase in the question.

Dear all, recently, I wrote out a resume and I included soft skills.  3 good friends sent me resumes that I could use as a model.  That's the good advantage of RG.

Fluency and Proficiency in second, third languages.

 Positive work ethic.

 Good attitude.

 Desire to learn and be trained.

 Excellent communication skills: Ability to relate to coworkers in a close environment

 Courtesy and Honesty.

 Elevated Grammatical and excellent written communication skills

 Reliability.

 Flexibility.

 Team skills/ team oriented/team player.

 Flexibility/Adaptability.

 Self-directed.

 Dependability.

 Self-supervising and organized.

 Punctual.

 Personal integrity.

 Positive work ethic.

 Interpersonal skills.

 Motivational skills.

 Willingness to learn.

 Dedication: Staying on the job until it is finished.

 Ability to listen.

 Commitment to continued training and learning.

 Willingness to take instruction and responsibility.

 Communication skills with public, fellow employees, supervisors, and customers.

Dear Miranda,

The best link I can provide about harnessing complexity is the book itself, via Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Harnessing-Complexity-Robert-Axelrod/dp/0465005500/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422212734&sr=1-1&keywords=harnessing+complexity

In any case, I should mention that a VUCA world cannot be tackled via normal, mainstreamed or traditional tools - even though they are well-intentioned -. Such is, indeed, the difficulty of a complex system.

Dear Carlos and all, thanks for the links.  I agree that 'a VUCA world cannot be tackled via normal, mainstreamed or traditional tools - even though they are well-intentioned -. Such is, indeed, the difficulty of a complex system.'  That's why I asked this question on RG.  I've got good links and ideas from many of you.  Don't we all know that our present life in this world is beyond busy life, hard life?  (A related Q to show that life is not as simple we used to imagine!)

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Are_you_willing_to_pay_for_drinking_water_derived_from_sewage#view=54c58c37d11b8b5b4d8b4567

I'd like to add, something else. In a compex system, there is no one single reason that is to be blamed as the main cause for the disasters. Complex systems result, among other things, from emergent behaviors, and linked networks. If so, then, not the politicians are the cause for such disaster. Additionally... and also... etc.

This is why one of the most helpful approaches with complex systems consists in mapping the behaviors. Mapping is just one technical world for networking.

VUCA is a military term, traditional skills won’t be enough, a number of external and disruptive forces are shading the foundations of future world. Teach traits such as resilience, flexibility, aspiration; using pedagogues which generate high levels of engagement and commitment so as to prepare them for future.

• Awareness
• Acquisition
• Application
• Advancing

http://www.hkihrm.org/LD/flyers/cmc/ASTD/ATD_2014_Post-Conference_Sharing_in_HK_flyer_w.pdf

Thanks @Carlos, Umachandran and all, here many of our Chinese families in this country are very strict with children, and so some of us grew up in homes and home churches, where the discipline was stern.  I remember an old pastor who often said that normal life is busy life, so set priorities right, and work hard.  The term 'work smart' was linked with dodging hard work and sweat.  With diminishing resources and a changing unstable physical and psychological environment, it's a VUCA world where we really need to be flexible and resilient, and learn all the time.  Thanks.

Dear Miranda, as you know, in history the claim about the need and importance of working has always been favorited by vertical, violent and exclusive systems and regimes. "Keep people busy, so that they cannot afford thinking, and hence critisizing". Sort of.

Thanks for your comment, Carlos.  

Friends, how does the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment we are in affect leadership in your organization? Leading the same organization would be simpler 20 years ago?  How can we really develop ourselves and our students to be great ethical leaders in a VUCA world?

Dear Miranda,

Dear All,

I am afraid we do not understand this VUCA world and have but a tiny and unimportant opportunity to control socio-economic processes and outputs. As Carlos put out, it is very difficult to influence complex systems especially if those are built that simple people cannot comprehend – we can see mostly merely the surface and not the essence of events and phenomena - and control it. The only possibility is a very long way for mass education and achieving people to be aware that recognised and realized common interests can solve the permanently reproduced injustice and troubles we are live in.

It is true that there are complex systems by which countries are controlled but they are not impossible to change. Yes, a relatively long process of education is required but we have to do it as scholars (besides the subjects we teach). If each one of us plays his/her role, then the process will proceed on with an accompanying acceleration because an ethical value given to student (A) will go to (B) then to (C) ...etc. in what is similar to a chain reaction.

It is imperative for a researcher to have the right combination of both hard and soft skills. It is important to know that the degree of hard to soft skills required by a project would vary according to the nature of the project. Soft skills, however, required for successful project management Technical skills (also referred to as hard skills)mcan be easily developed through training.

Dear friends, thanks for your posts. Dear Andras, like you, Dr Nizar and Carlos and all, I find that our world is so complex and so unpredictable.  There are so many threads even on RG, and we are all aware that resources are diminishing, while needs are increasing, and the global population is increasing such a lot.  Certainly education is necessary; new skills are needed.  Yes @Yogesh, both hard skills and soft skills are needed in any business or educational organization.  Thanks.  (When Malaysian Airlines restructured, they used the business philosophy of Jack Welch.)

Dear friends, what do you think?  I really wonder if Malaysian Airlines can become a successful business, in this VUCA age, even though it's trying to follow someone else's success story.  This was what happened to GE, when Welch took over.  But my country isn't the same.  Even before MH 370 and MH 17, MAS was already making huge losses.  It was Airasia that succeeded because Tony Fernandez is the good friend of Richard Branson.  I prefer Airasia, anytime.

Hard skills and soft skills are never meant to compete with each other; in fact, they should, ideally, complement the each other. A good education and proper training will indeed pave the way for success, but unless one is equipped with the necessary soft skills, one’s opportunities could all go down the drains. Hard skills and soft skills need to be learned and developed to achieve success in life and career.

Yes, dear András, most of the replies to the VUCA world come from mainstream and standard approaches. That misses altogether the point.

Now, let us all remember one very particular fact - that has in fact been highlighted above. The acronym "VUCA" comes form military interests and securitization concerns. That frames pretty well the very understanding of VUCA.

I have done and published some research on the issue particularly after reading the following wonderful journal:

International Journal of Commander. If I am not wrong, it was set up after the 9/11 attack. It was such a circumstance that fostered the interest of the US Department on complexity issues.

Thanks indeed Yogesh, for a thoughtful comment.  Soft skills make us a real human.  Dear all, enjoy this abstract:

'21st Century employers are looking for graduates who possess soft skills that include responsibility, self-confidence, social and communication skills, flexibility, team-spiritedness, good work attitude, self-motivation and self-management. Many skills learned through project-based learning are highly sought by today's employers including the ability to work well with others, handle interpersonal conflicts, make thoughtful decisions, as well as practise and solve complex problems. A project based learning (PjBL) approach was undertaken through a project assigned in a Workplace Communication course, to incorporate these soft skills. The project work assigned required students to investigate a workplace problem in a real workplace setting. This present study was conducted to identify the relevant soft skills acquired when undergoing the project work. It also aims to find out how PjBL has equipped students with the related soft skills in the 21st century workplace environment. In view of this, it is evident that project-based learning facilitates the growth of learners in acquiring the aforementioned skills.'

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042812037639

Thanks Carlos, do you have soft copy papers on this matter?

(You said: 'International Journal of Commander. If I am not wrong, it was set up after the 9/11 attack. It was such a circumstance that fostered the interest of the US Department on complexity issues.'  I have been away from this thread, very busy.)

Yes Dear Miranda. Part of the explanation was the worry about the differences in structures, dynamics and actions between the US army forces and Al-Quaeda. A most sensitive issue.

Thanks for your posts.  @Roland, I appreciate your 5 points.  @Paul, we have to conquer our 'destructive sinful selves', if we ever can have peace in our hearts.  I haven't even finished reading the various links here.  I will be back when I can...

http://www.ae911truth.org/gallery/evidence.html

You are right dear Roland.

Dear Miranda, difficult to master this complex world even with full hard and soft skills (which is a very rare case); I think when the norms and the ethics are disabled, things could be worst. No Researcher (the more intelligent and talented one) could be able to master the more useful knowledge for mastering this present Vuca world. People should return to the norms of every thing: job, commerce, politics, education, health etc....without respect of the norms, no respect of knowledge and no progress could be possible , only disorder and stupidity could be the masters of this vuca world

Thanks @Roland and Fairouz.  Roland I agree that:

'All of us can rise above any situation that life hands us.

All of us can live a fulfilling life in the middle of the turmoil.

All of us can find a sense of peace and purpose.'

Dear Fairouz, I agree with you on this: 'difficult to master this complex world even with full hard and soft skills (which is a very rare case); I think when the norms and the ethics are disabled, things could be worst.'  But I disagree about 'only disorder and stupidity could be the masters of this vuca world'.  I think that with God given wisdom, and the knowledge and all skills that we have, we can meet the challenges of this VUCA world.  (Sorry friends for late answer.  I'm spending half an hour on RG at one sitting, till my tight time schedule improves.)

You are right dear Miranda; may be at personal level with ones skills and God's wisdom we could meet with some challenges. But at social level (as we couldn't live alone without social interaction), with all the skills one could have, this seems to be difficult outside social's, corporates' or management's respect of norms and ethics. In that case one should be skilled in bad things, in disorder or be vicious, to be able to the success or goals achievements!  and this is not evident for everybody !!!!!

Friends, I found this link on the dangers of regular cell phone usage.  Many of my friends are very engaged with their phones, whenever they have a free slot.

'Insurance studies in England showed that an average driver talking on a cell is actually more impaired in function and reaction time than a drunk. Finland's Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority reports that one hour of exposure to mobile phone radiation can cause human cells to shrink. Researchers believe this is due to increased protein activity, an indicator of cell damage. What an unstable world needs now is a global population afflicted with incredible shrinking brains.'

http://www.rense.com/general63/facts.htm