Amid rising political instability and a volatile global landscape, businesses face unprecedented uncertainty. Shifting markets and rapid change make decision-making increasingly complex, threatening even the most resilient organisations.
We sat down with Thomas Lim, the Dean of the SIM Centre for Systems Leadership, to answer burning question raised at the recent SIM Learning & Leadership Festival 2025.
Q: For individuals who are facing risk of redundancy as a result of the VUCA/ BANI world, what are the important skills that one can acquire to make oneself more resilient and adaptable to such changes?
Thomas: Focus on adaptive learning, systems thinking, cross‑disciplinary skills, and emotional resilience. Build capacity for inquiry, collaboration, and reframing problems—not just technical competence. Being able to frame corporate issues holistically might provide that added advantage in the BANI job-scarce environment.
Rather than seeking certainty, the resilient professional cultivates curiosity, clarity of purpose, and the discipline to continuously upskill and reframe challenges into growth opportunities. The emphasis shifts from “what do I know now?” to “how quickly can I learn what the system now requires?”
Q: How do we teach or lead the next generation when “lie flat” is a trend among young people? How can we groom them to be leaders of tomorrow?
Thomas: Connect purpose, agency, and contribution. Model reflective practice, invite them into co‑design, and provide structured pathways for experimentation and real‑world leadership practice. Most of all, listen emphatically to them before reacting.
When we create environments of psychological safety, genuine co-creation, and purpose-driven innovation, we see engagement rise organically. The next generation responds not to pressure, but to possibility and trust.
Q: Many are saying we are living in the unemployment apocalypse. How does the panel see a way to survive this, not so much for the majority in this auditorium, but for the new graduates and Gen A, B etc?
Thomas: Shift mindset from job‑seeking to value‑creating. Build portfolio careers, systems literacy, tech fluency, and relational intelligence to thrive in emergent ecosystems. Our focus should shift from job placement to capability mobility; by equipping individuals with adaptability, professional resilience, and system-wide awareness so they can contribute meaningfully across roles and sectors over time.
Q: Any practical advice on how exactly we should build resilience and collaborative thinking in a BANI Singapore through systems leadership/ thinking?
Thomas: Use simple routines: reflection pauses, shared purpose maps, causal loops for problem‑solving, and community learning platforms to build shared understanding and capability.
Singapore’s strength lies in our ability to convene diverse stakeholders and translate shared purpose into coordinated, meaningful progress. Strengthening these habits sustains social cohesion and organisational agility in uncertain times.
Q: In a BANI world, how can an organization best structure and organise its sensemaking process to ensure it can keep up with, pre-empt and react to external developments?
Thomas: Create lightweight sensemaking cycles: periodic cross‑functional scans, signposting weak signals, shared dashboards, and learning rituals to act, reflect, and adapt. This approach transforms planning from a one-time event into a continuous learning architecture, enabling leaders to anticipate rather than simply react, and to design adaptive responses with clarity and composure.
Q: What are the upsides of a BANI world? After all, systems theory only say we can’t predict the future, not that the future will be bleak.
Thomas: Non‑linearity enables innovation and unexpected breakthroughs. When systems shift, new forms of value, collaboration, and regeneration emerge. This may enable new innovation that sparks off a virtuous cycle. Yes, it need not be bleak. Leaders who embrace this shift build cultures anchored in learning, resilience, and shared purpose. In doing so, they unlock new forms of value and relevance that are not possible in more predictable times.
Q: How do you see FLUX – Fast, Liquid, Uncharted, eXperimental in the context of BANI?
Thomas: FLUX complements BANI: it highlights that agility requires fluid structures, experimentation, and learning loops ~ and not rigid control.
The real task for leaders is creating cultures that remain grounded even as they experiment boldly — balancing discipline with imagination, and clarity of purpose with openness to evolution.
Q: How do you think a Systems Leadership perspective and futures thinking can aid or improve the environment for development? Can you provide any examples?
Thomas: Systems leadership and futures thinking expand time horizons and reveal leverage points. Example: integrated health and social care pilots aligning incentives and data flows.
Together, they help leaders design organisations that do not merely react to change but shape it. This approach is especially valuable in sectors such as healthcare, sustainability, and digital transformation, where long-term societal impact rests on coordinated, multi-stakeholder action.
Q: What are your views of the impact to Singapore and the world, with many unreasonable men characters shaping today’s world?
Thomas: Disruptive actors increase volatility; systems leaders focus on strengthening institutional resilience, shared narratives, and cross‑society trust. System leaders work within their sphere of influence and then enlarge it.
Leadership in such times is not about predicting every shock but about ensuring we have the capability, alignment, and trust to respond swiftly and thoughtfully when shocks arise.
Q: 7 of 9 planetary boundaries have been breached and the world is increasingly being run by autocrats. What to do?
Thomas: The collective can attempt to strengthen civic trust, regenerative development, shared stewardship, and regional cooperation. Build networks of resilience across sectors and communities.
In practice, this means redesigning incentives, engaging diverse stakeholders, and ensuring that climate resilience and social equity advance hand in hand. Systems thinking offers the navigational lens to pursue progress without unintended harm.
Q: In a non-linear, accelerated changing world, will nation states as an entity and societal concept still exist? Or would it be transnational corporations that structure the world order?
Thomas: Nation‑states endure, but power might potentially diffuse to networks and platforms. Perhaps states might do well to become connectors, conveners, and trusted stewards of public good. The question can also be viewed from the perspective about how they will co-shape systems that serve collective needs and future generations.
Keep an eye out for part 3 of this series coming to you on 1 December 2025.
