March 12, 2026
If running a corrugated business—or supplying the corrugated industry—feels harder than it used to, you’re not imagining it.
Tariffs shift with little warning. Labor is tight and expensive. Customers expect faster turns, tighter tolerances, and fewer mistakes
—often all at once. A late raw-material delivery can ripple through production schedules, customer commitments, and cash flow before anyone has time to catch their breath. The pace rarely lets up.
There’s a name for this environment: VUCA—volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity.
The term didn’t come from consultants. It came from the U.S. military after the Cold War, when leaders realized the world had become less predictable and more interconnected. Old playbooks built for stable conditions no longer held up.
It’s important to understand that VUCA itself isn’t new. What’s new is its amplification. Globalization, instantaneous communication, and rapid innovation have turned occasional disruptions into a constant reality. Tools that worked well in a slower, more predictable 20th-century world—rigid plans, command-and-control management, and waiting for perfect information—now feel brittle and slow.
Even large organizations see the shift. A recent Deloitte survey found that 8 out of 10 business leaders believe navigating complexity is the most important business skill today. For small and midsized manufacturers and suppliers, the pressure is even greater because there’s less margin for error and fewer layers to absorb shocks.
So how do leaders counter VUCA without overcomplicating things or burning themselves out? Start with a few practical moves.
Volatility Is Countered by Vision
When conditions change fast, people need something stable to anchor to. Clear purpose and direction act like stabilizers. When teams understand where the company is headed—and how their work contributes—they stay focused even as variables shift. Vision doesn’t need buzzwords, but it does need repetition and relevance to daily decisions.
Uncertainty Is Countered by Understanding
Uncertainty thrives in information gaps. Leaders reduce it by teaching, not hoarding knowledge. Ask yourself: What do I know, and who needs to know it? The more employees understand how the business works, what customers value, and how decisions get made, the better they respond when plans change midstream.
Complexity Is Countered by Clarity and Simplicity
The world is already complicated, so never miss a chance to simplify. Narrow priorities. Apply the 80/20 rule. Communicate in plain language. Break tangled systems into manageable parts so people can act instead of freeze.
Ambiguity Is Countered by Agility
When the path forward isn’t clear, speed matters more than perfection. Encourage small experiments. Push decisions closer to the work. You can almost always adjust later, but hesitation hands control to the environment.
One final reality: VUCA is exhausting. Left unacknowledged, it doesn’t just drain energy—it erodes judgment, slows decisions, and drives good people out the door. Strong leaders name the strain, show empathy, and reinforce the importance of recovery. There’s a reason Marines are given short periods of liberty during deployments: People perform better when they’re allowed to recharge.
Do this tomorrow: Pick one recurring decision that tends to stall—production changes, pricing exceptions, customer complaints—and clarify who can decide and when it must be escalated. Clear decision rights shorten cycle time and restore momentum fast.
VUCA isn’t going away. But with focus, trust, and practical leadership moves, it won’t get to run your business.
Matt Eichmann is founder of Catalyst Point Leadership Advisors. He can be reached at 614-512-2940 or matt@catalyst-point.com.
