The Relationship between the VUCA Environment and Managers' Decision-Making Styles

Abstract

The acronym VUCA, which summarizes turbulent times, represents a volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity business world. Although it contains many opportunities, many researchers consider VUCA a significant threat to decision-making processes for managers. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between the decision-making styles of managers and the VUCA environment created by the global health crisis. In this context, a survey was conducted on 90 mid-level managers with decision-making authority in a state hospital with a capacity of 700 beds operating in Eskişehir/Türkiye. The study has a cross-sectional research design. Statistical analyses revealed that managers most preferred "rational decision-making" and least preferred "avoidant decision-making" styles. The correlation analysis showed a significant and positive relationship between complexity in VUCA environments and rational decision-making. Furthermore, it was observed that complexity significantly differs based on the duration of working as a manager