Transformation of Pathologists: Responding in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous Environment

http://www.archivesofpathology.org/doi/pdf/10.5858/arpa.2012-0301-ED


James S. Hernandez and Timothy Craig Allen 
Transformation of Pathologists: Responding in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous Environment.
Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine: May 2013, Vol. 137, No. 5, pp. 603-605.

In “No Pay, No Play: The End of Professional Ethics in Pathology?”¹ and “No Pay, No Play: Game Over,”² we noted the general discontent among pathologists and reinforced that, even so, we must remain ever professional. We did not, however, delve into the causes of the discontent, frustration, and malaise that are too often seen among pathologists nor how they might be dealt with. Why are so many pathologists frustrated and disappointed, and sometimes, burned out? Why do so many pathologists believe their contracts with society have been broken? What exactly is today's reality? What has happened, and what can be done about it?

Today we pathologists live in a VUCA world: VUCA—volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity—is an acronym used to describe an environment of volatility—“[t]he nature and dynamics of change, and the nature and speed of change forces and change catalysts”; uncertainty—“[t]he lack of predictability, the prospects for surprise, and the sense of awareness and understanding of issues and events”; complexity—“[t]he multiplex of force, the confounding of issues[,] and the chaos and confusion that surround an organization”; and ambiguity—“[t]he haziness of reality, the potential for misreads, and the mixed meanings of conditions; cause-and-effect confusion.”³