Life in the "BANI" World

We have already defined the world around us as "dynamic," "turbulent," and "VUCA," and now we are in a BANI world (Brittle-Anxious- Non-linear- Incomprehensible). Anthropologist, author, and futurist Jamais Cascio coined the term "BANI" in 2016, and a lot has been written about the world's transition from "VUCA" to "BANI”. It has been my weekend joy to read some of the extremely insightful and pertinent work surrounding BANI by Jeroen Kraaijenbrink, Strategy, and Leadership Consultant. sharing a few of the insights.

We are claiming to create stronger buildings right now, but within a few minutes, an earthquake shatters these structures, killing thousands of people.

You had planned to focus on your career development after doing a lot of planning and forecasting, but the advent of AI has significantly reduced your functional position to less than it once was.

Brittle - The Illusion of Strength

The world around us is a brittle, delicate, and complicated ecosystem, notably in terms of its environment, economy, and peace. Giving up this initial delusion, the “Illusion of Strength”, is necessary in order to embrace fragility. Brittle alludes to the lies that individuals tell one another and themselves to feel better and more secure. Accepting the brittle nature of things, which not just you but also the remaining 8 billion people around the world experience, is the best course of action in this situation.

We hailed the invention of gasoline in the 19th century because it made travel easier. In the 21st century, we are searching for alternatives to fossil fuels to preserve the earth as a safe place to live.

After gaining that one power or access at work, you first believed that you would be in charge of the situation, but after six months, you realise that other uncontrollable aspects have also been added.

Anxious - The Illusion of Control

Anxiety is a subjective feeling caused by a gap between what one expects and what one experiences. People expect control, and for a long time, they have been able to hold on to that illusion. We have never had complete control over situations, unrest, war, or catastrophe; they have always been unavoidable aspects of life on this planet. We need to realise that having total control is an illusion, because the more control we desire, the more anxious we get.

The famous butterfly effect, the flap of the wings, is part of the initial conditions of an interconnected complex web; one set of conditions leads to a tornado, while the other set doesn't, and hence the point: how can we be so predictive in our lives, at our workplace, etc.

Non-linear - The Illusion of Predictability

There’s no simple straight route from A to B. Instead, there are detours, dead ends, and unexpected outcomes. It’s also part of the common vocabulary in statistics, where it refers to a relationship between two or more variables that’s not a straight line and not the same line, either.

Do you know that as many as five new species were discovered in January 2023?

We humans claim so much about our knowledge, but the fact is that there is a lot more to be known.

Incomprehensible - The Illusion of Knowledge

Individuals might have believed they knew how the world worked. Yet, they never have. Experts and scientists frequently use the phrase "the more I know, the more I realise I don't know" for this reason. Accepting this fact about our own knowledge is a positive thing, and the moment we do, we begin acting like learners.

Living in a BANI world doesn't mean we cease being forward-thinking or risk-takers; rather, it means we avoid getting swept up in our own prowess or knowledge and that we free ourselves from these four illusions. The blessing of having this life is also in living it and feeling happy about it, besides being eager to learn, try, and create.

#BANI #Innovation #leadership #leaders #Coaching #learning #HR #HRBP #engagement #Change #wellness #Nextversion #Postpandemic #Wayforward #JeroenKraaijenbrink