{"id":2138,"date":"2018-07-02T15:02:40","date_gmt":"2018-07-02T14:02:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citysecuritymagazine.com\/?p=2138"},"modified":"2018-07-17T10:08:48","modified_gmt":"2018-07-17T09:08:48","slug":"security-know-how-understanding-the-terminology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citysecuritymagazine.com\/risk-management\/security-know-how-understanding-the-terminology\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding security terminology"},"content":{"rendered":"

A world of three letter Acronyms<\/strong><\/h1>\n

All industries have a lexicon of Three Letter Acronyms (TLAs).\u00a0Until I joined the security industry, I imagined the military must hold the record for the number of such abbreviations \u2013 but I was wrong!<\/p>\n

I remember sitting beside a general\u2019s wife at a regimental ladies dinner night. She was lamenting the abbreviated language in which her husband conversed. She explained that he returned home that afternoon saying that he had been on a \u2018TEWT\u2019 and that she did not have the patience to ask what that was. I explained gently that a TEWT (pronounced TUUTE) was a Tactical Exercise Without Troops \u2013 whereby officers went onto a piece of ground and rehearsed how they would fight a battle over this particular bit of terrain. She was delighted and wrote this down in her note book for future reference.<\/p>\n

I thought that we could now have some fun. <\/strong><\/p>\n

I told her that the police service had an equivalent known as a PEWC (pronounced \u2018puke\u2019) \u2013 or a \u2018Police Exercise Without Constables\u2019.<\/p>\n

I also let slip that the army were planning some NEWDs (pronounced \u2018nudes\u2019) \u2013 or Night Exercises Without Darkness and finally that, due to defence cuts, our forces were being forced to undertake a series of Jungle Exercises Without Trees \u2013 or JEWTs, for short.<\/p>\n

She avidly wrote this new information down and put it in her handbag. Inevitably I was summoned for an interview without coffee by her husband the following day, but it was well worth the telling off!<\/p>\n

VUCA<\/h6>\n

One TLA, developed by none other than the US Army War College at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, caught my eye, namely VUCA.<\/p>\n

The TLA is all about chaos, or how Time Magazine described the last 10 years as \u2018the decade from Hell\u2019.\u00a0 It is about the pace and speed of change.\u00a0 Changes, which may previously have taken years, may now be achieved in weeks.<\/p>\n

VUCA stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

It describes the nature of our world today and applies equally to the business world as to defence and security:<\/p>\n

V = Volatility.<\/strong>The nature, speed, magnitude, volume and dynamics of change, and change catalysts.<\/p>\n

U = Uncertainty.<\/strong>The lack of predictability, the prospects for surprise, and the sense of awareness and understanding of complex issues and events.<\/p>\n

C = Complexity.<\/strong>The multiplex of forces, the confounding of issues and the chaos and confusion that surround an organisation.<\/p>\n

A = Ambiguity.<\/strong>The haziness of reality, the potential for misreads, and the mixed meanings of conditions; cause-and-effect confusion.<\/p>\n

These four issues could be seen to represent the world in which contemporary institutions see their present and how they may predict their future. They could be seen as limits to both security planning and crisis management and the concept that once a crisis begins, it can rapidly escalate and run away, taking a course of its own given the catalyst of modern communications, media and social networks.<\/p>\n

Modern conflict is often described as asymmetric and omni-directional \u2013 no longer do two armies face each other on a battlefield in two opposing straight lines \u2013 today the enemy can come from any direction and may take many forms.<\/p>\n

Threats to business and security are equally unpredictable. Understanding this VUCA environment can be valuable to security professionals as it can form the basis for a style of management and leadership much needed in the current unpredictable climate.<\/p>\n

Comprehension of the concept can provide a platform where anticipation, agility and the speed of response can enhance our reaction to incidents whilst also creating true competitive advantage in the hazardous business space of the 21st century. Security providers who are capable of driving their organisations through such complexity are those who will ultimately triumph in the new paradigm of the VUCA world. For most contemporary organisations \u2013 be they security, military, education or government, VUCA provides a practical code for awareness and readiness. Beyond the simple acronym is a body of knowledge that deals with learning models for VUCA preparedness, anticipation, evolution and intervention. Ironically, in a clever turn of words, the antidote to VUCA is VUCA too!<\/p>\n

Dr. Bob Johansen of the Institute For The Future (IFTF) postulates that the solution to success in overcoming chaos comes from creating:<\/p>\n

Vision<\/strong>\u2013 an intent seeking to create a clear future state.<\/p>\n

Understanding<\/strong>\u2013 stop, look and listen to the characteristics at play.<\/p>\n

Clarity<\/strong>\u2013 make sense of the chaos.<\/p>\n

Agility<\/strong>\u2013 wirearchy (networking) is rewarded over hierarchy.<\/p>\n

The leadership approaches Johansens recommends in VUCA situations include:<\/p>\n