Comparative overview of VUCA, BANI and PUMO as successive uncertainty frames
| Dimension | VUCA | BANI | PUMO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core claim | Turbulent environment: adapt | Fragile environment; stabilise and care | Polarised and overheated environment; manage boundaries and pressure |
| Components | Volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity | Brittle, anxious, nonlinear, incomprehensible | Polarised, unthinkable, metamorphic, overheated |
| Dominant metaphor | Fog: navigation in turbulence | Fragility and overload | Fault lines: pressure cooker |
| Leader identity | Strategist-navigator | Stabiliser-caregiver | Boundary-manager |
| Typical response | Agility and sensemaking | Resilience; psychological safety | Depolarising sensemaking; “cooling” capacity; transformation capability |
| Diffusion carriers | Consulting; business schools; leadership discourse | Speakers/coaches; consulting; platforms | Strategy/innovation discourse; platforms; Exec Ed (early) |
| Status (indexing) | Established | Diffusing | Very recent; low indexing (timing effect) |
| Link to others | Baseline turbulence frame | Reframes VUCA via fragility/affect | Extends VUCA + BANI with polarisation + chronic pressure |
| Dimension | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Core claim | Turbulent environment: adapt | Fragile environment; stabilise and care | Polarised and overheated environment; manage boundaries and pressure |
| Components | Volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity | Brittle, anxious, nonlinear, incomprehensible | Polarised, unthinkable, metamorphic, overheated |
| Dominant metaphor | Fog: navigation in turbulence | Fragility and overload | Fault lines: pressure cooker |
| Leader identity | Strategist-navigator | Stabiliser-caregiver | Boundary-manager |
| Typical response | Agility and sensemaking | Resilience; psychological safety | Depolarising sensemaking; “cooling” capacity; transformation capability |
| Diffusion carriers | Consulting; business schools; leadership discourse | Speakers/coaches; consulting; platforms | Strategy/innovation discourse; platforms; Exec Ed (early) |
| Status (indexing) | Established | Diffusing | Very recent; low indexing (timing effect) |
| Link to others | Baseline turbulence frame | Reframes | Extends VUCA + BANI with polarisation + chronic pressure |
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