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Management in the VUCA World: The Role of Spirituality

    The European SPES organized its Annual Conference with the Free University of Amsterdam in July 3–4, 2015 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

    The title of the conference was “Management in the VUCA World: The Role of Spirituality”. The conference aimed to discuss how spiritual values help managers to navigate the VUCA World of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity.

    Questions to be addressed were as follow:

    What could be the contribution of practical ancient wisdom to the understand and practice of spiritual values in management in the VUCA World?

    To what extent might the spirit of entrepreneurial leaders and firms provide tangible examples of simplicity and frugality in practice?

    What could be the role of spirituality in management education in addressing the challenges of the VUCA world?

    What are the good practices of spiritually inspired management in business operations, resource productivity, brand management strategy, diversity management, and corporate behavior?

    How might company and brand reputation be developed with a spiritual perspective?

    How might the philosophical and spiritual roots of simplicity and frugality be developed to provide support for all who face the demands of living and working in a VUCA world?

    What changes can realistically be implemented in the prevailing investment paradigm which allow business to better reflect the principles of simplicity, frugality, empathy, and interconnectedness in management?