Courage: Panera demonstrated an inordinate amount of courage when they decided to implement the new changes. This meant throwing half of what they did out of the window and starting again. Training and hiring new staff to cover the new aspects of ordering and fulfilling the orders, the advertising, website creation and staff abilities, all these aspects had to be addressed and it was a tremendous undertaking financially and physically.

Adaptability: The changes were not easy to implement and they did not happen overnight. Over the course of six years, Panera implemented different aspects of their new system. They realized that presented the changes in one fell swoop would be too much, not just for the organization, but the customers as well. They made changes gradually over time and it proved to be a successful change.

Panera is a prime example of how the implementation of VUCA created a successful venture into the unknown waters that was online ordering. We see it now in just about every major franchise around the country. As Kallet (2017) suggests, the management of this business can apply the three steps in critical thinking to find a solution to this ordering problem it faces. This critical thinking framework involves discovery, information, and ideas that result in clarity, conclusions, and decisions. Importantly, critical thinking should have a strong basis for decision­ making, relatively long period of achieving clarity, and shorter period for adopting decisions. Discovery of the problem would involve learning the real issue affecting the business, while the organization would achieve a high level of clarity by establishing the deep-rooted causes of the matter (Kallet, 2017). Once it identifies these facts, it can embark on finding a solution to the issue. Clearly, as outlined above, Panera used the critical thinking framework Kallet outlined in his book, like a roadmap to get them to their desired destination.

Personally, I encountered a similar experience in my business were I had to use critical thinking and the VUCA system (unknowingly) to achieve optimum results. The company I was contracted required us to use a pool of money to advertise as a group, even though we were independent contractors. I was fine with pooling our funds to maximize exposure, I was not in agreement with the type of advertising they were proposing. This was in the early 2000's, the internet and social media were in their infancy. I was fairly young as was most of my staff, but I worked in an industry were many of my colleagues were much older.

My vision was using the internet as a new, less expensive source for advertising.  I proposed using a portion of our dollars in something new. My demographic was targeted for a younger crowd, the type that was more likely to use social media and the internet. I pushed for this but was unsuccessful. They wanted the status quo, phonebook advertisements, newspapers and radio spots. I used the phonebook at the time as a doorstop, read the paper online and had satellite radio, none of these mediums would ever reach me or my desired customers.

I pushed for a clause to opt out of the pool and use my dollars were I thought I would maximize a return on investment. It was an undertaking, I was going to receive less commissions and compensation because I was opting out. This was something I was willing to do because I had the understanding that I would make what I was losing out on, plus much more, for a fraction of what others were spending. I needed to do this, I knew I had the staff that was proficient and had a better understanding than I, of how to use the internet and not only target but serve the population we were hoping for. It was a little unnerving to go rogue and try something that had never been attempted, but I knew I had the right people and it was the right choice for me. After all, the dinosaurs died out due to their inability to change, right?

To implement the changes, we started advertising on Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube and on several other online search engines. I did divert a small portion of my budget to the traditional mediums, just in case. Our venture proved fruitful. We had the fastest growing business in the Pacific Northwest territory, which encompassed 5 states. Soon after, all our advertising would go into the internet and social media. As we know now, it is the number one way to advertise, but it seemed something so out of the realm when we started. My model was soon implemented by the company wide when pooling funds. Of course, being dinosaurs, they still used portions towards traditional advertising but that changed gradually over the years.

Arguably, the VUCA Model would affect the recommendations in this paper since it will promote the supply chain management as well as performance in the business. According to what other companies, such as McDonald's and Panera Bread, have  achieved using this model,  the VUCA approach to finding innovative solutions to issues will help industry leaders to change the conventional supply chain management. It takes vision, courage, innovation and hard work, but bold strategies are needed in an ever changing world. We need to use technology and changes to our advantage, otherwise, we drown. I inadvertently used the VUCA model in my business, I had never heard of it before. But I recognized the changes that were needed and used a strategic method to implement them.

References

• George, B. (2017, February 17). VUCA 2.0: A strategy for steady leadership in an unsteady world. Forbes.  Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hbsworkingknowledge/201  7/02/17/vuca-2-0-a-strategy-for-steady­ leadership-in-an-unsteady-world/#7  4c8c24413d8
• Jargon, J. (2017, June 2). How Panera solved its mash pit problem. The Wall Street Journal.
• Kahlon, K. G., & Sur, K. S. (2018). Digital Adoption for Consumer Delight: £-Restaurant. Sansmaran Research Journal 2(5), 1-16.
• Kallet,  M. (2014). Think smarter:  Critical thinking to improve problem-solving and decision­ smaking skills. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons.