VUCA is an acronym for “Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous.”
MBA is a play on words and stands for “Mindset for Business Agility.”
According to Wikipedia VUCA was an acronym introduced by “the U.S. Army War College introduced the concept of VUCA to describe the more volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous multilateral world perceived as resulting from the end of the Cold War. More frequent use and discussion of the term "VUCA" began from 2002 and derives from this acronym from military education".
The “VUCA MBA” is a class, created by Larry Apke, to help people understand the VUCA world* and how they and the companies they work for can thrive in this world. The class was derived for a highly successful class Larry taught for years referred to as the “Agile MBA”. This new class encompasses the original curriculum and has been updated to include even more information on agility and how to not only survive but thrive in the VUCA world.
The class consists of three days of training / consulting. The first two days are dedicated to the training materials. The final day may continue some of the training concepts covered (should there be a need for more time), but is mostly given to custom consulting based on the needs of the organization and group being trained. The third day is often highlighted by taking the concepts about backlog management learned in the training and applying it to existing backlog(s). Many find the third day the most valuable part of the three days because of the practical backlog exercise and customized consulting based on decades of Agile transformation experience.
*In addition to the VUCA acronym, the world these days has been dubbed “BANI” (Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear, Incomprehensible), “RUPT” (Rapid, Unpredictable, Paradoxical, Tangled), and “TUNA” (Turbulent, Uncertain, Novel, Ambiguous). Most recently I was told of another acronym, “DANCE” (Dynamic and changing Ambiguous and uncertain Nonlinear Complex Emergent and unpredictable). At this point, it seems there is some strange acronym arms race with consultants creating acronyms regularly so they can rise above the din. Regardless of the acronym you choose, the class will provide you with valuable information on how to remain competitive in this ever-changing world.