PreAccident Investigation Podcast PAPod 586 - VUCA, Uncertainty, and the Case for Innovation
Feb 21, 2026
Discussion of VUCA and why uncertainty can drive better innovation and safety. Anecdotes from travel, airports, and Olympic coverage lighten the talk. Examples from aviation and healthcare show how diverse information improves decisions. Practical push to lean into uncertainty and widen whose expertise is heard.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Travel Troubles Illustrate Uncertainty
- Todd Conklin describes struggling with delayed flights and airport frustrations while traveling for work.
- He uses this travel disruption to introduce themes of unpredictability and VUCA in daily life.
Olympics Examples Of Crafted Uncertainty
- Todd recounts watching the Winter Olympics and marvels at crafted events and drone coverage.
- He uses Olympic examples (luge relay, biathlon, snowboarding) to illustrate designed unpredictability in competition.
VUCA Framing From Special Forces
- VUCA stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Adaptation and originates from military special forces.
- Todd links VUCA to civilian high-risk work and frames it as a way to understand operating under uncertainty.