Dear Valued Members, Colleagues and Friends of ACTO,

Our Conference page for this year contains the following words:

“Scary things are happening in many places in the world right now…”

Does this feel true for you and your clients?

It is not an exaggeration to say that in many countries, the pace of change and the level of uncertainty are staggering. Off the charts.

Most of us (although surely not all) are familiar with the acronym VUCA as a way to describe the world. (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous). And this may be enough to describe the state of the world for some.

But move on over.

The new acronym that some (although surely not all) know is BANI (Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear, and Incomprehensible). It represents another level of chaos. Jamais Cascio coined the acronym BANI in 2018, and popularized it in his 2020 article, Facing the Age of Chaos. Cascio is an American anthropologist, author, and futurist.

A simple search on Google goes a little deeper on what this acronym means:

  • Brittle: Systems are fragile and can break without warning.

For example, energy grids, democracy, and health care are brittle systems.

  • Anxious: Constant changes can be anxiety-inducing.

Anxiety can lead to fear and a sense of helplessness.

  • Non-linear: 

Cause and effect are seemingly disconnected or disproportionate.

  • Incomprehensible: 

Problems are so complex and fast-moving that answers aren’t clear.

On the Forum call last month, Rashmi Dixit talked about BANI and how we might use it with our clients to have them cultivate resilience and awareness, integrate paradoxes and act with integrity. BANI is intended to help people understand the world’s current level of disruption and level of change and to navigate what to do next.

At ACTO, we are committed to provide community and tools so that our member coaches and coach training organizations can in turn support their clients and students with the VUCA and BANI world we find ourselves in.

It will be okay. We will keep breathing together.

With love,
ACTO Board