Ambiguity Engenders Excellence in Some, Anxiety in Others

Do you find yourself consistently adrift in the workplace?

Has your boss ever assigned you a project with very little in the way of guidance or direction?

Do you and your co-workers feel uncertain about your goals and responsibilities?

Ambiguity in the workplace is inevitable, so learning how to manage it is often the difference between success and failure.

“The inability to tolerate ambiguity,” wrote the pioneering psychologist, Sigmund Freud, is the root of mental distress.

Of course, even the most resilient and healthiest personalities can be taxed by uncertainty. However, the capacity to embrace the unknown and transform vagueness into clarity is one of the distinguishing characteristics of exceptional leaders.

Ambiguity Is the New Normal

Ambiguity is pervasive in all spheres of life, but it is especially prominent in today’s workplace. The pace of change is dizzying, and in order to survive, businesses must make decisions on the basis of rapidly changing information. That is, the problem at hand never truly stays the same for long. As a result, employees who can act decisively––but also effectively––in the face of uncertainty are prized. And recruiters are increasingly making an effort to pinpoint those skills in candidates early on in the interview process.

Universities such as Columbia University and The George Washington University are embracing and adopting new methods for getting ahead of ambiguity and its negative consequences if not approached correctly. In Columbia University’s Executive Masters of Technology Management program, for which I am a mentor, has designed a curriculum that helps develop leaders using both formal and informal mentoring methods. Dr. Arthur Langer, the Executive Director of the program, and his team have identified 12 key personal traits that leaders must poses in order to be successful in the C-Suite. One of those traits is dealing with ambiguity. As Dr. Langer puts it “If you need to be told exactly the problem, you will most likely not bring much value. The life of most executives requires an understanding of how to bring clarity to vaguely defined problems.”

Company’s such as Microsoft & IDEO also value the importance of teaching their employees how to deal with ambiguity. Microsoft has laid out practices for dealing with this as part of their management training program. They emphasize overcoming the need for perfection and developing a philosophical stance toward failure or criticism. IDEO encourages its people to embrace ambiguity. They believe that ambiguity is essential to the creative process and specifically giving yourself permission to explore many possible answers simultaneously.

3 Powerful Tips For Harnessing Ambiguity

Understandably, confronting vagueness stresses most people out. Nevertheless, there are methods than can help you cope with uncertainty better, and even turn it to your advantage.

• Forgo Conventional Wisdom (and Re-frame the Issue). Ambiguity can be an opportunity. For example, during Teddy

  Roosevelt’s “whistle stop” presidential bid, George Perkins, T.R.’s campaign manager, was set to distribute 3 million promotional handbills with an impressive picture of the president. Unfortunately, no one on the campaign realized that the fine print under the photo read “Copyright Moffett Studios, Chicago.” Consequently, Perkins was faced with a very dicey and ambiguous situation. After all, if the copyright holder demanded a fee, then Roosevelt’s campaign would be bankrupt. On the other hand, if they ignored the issue, then the candidate’s judgement and ethics would be questioned.

  Perkins responded with some out-of-the-box thinking. He approached Moffett Studios with an offer: “We are planning to distribute millions of picture with Roosevelt’s picture on the cover. It will be great publicity for the studio whose picture we use. How much will you pay us to use yours?” Moffett responded with an offer of $250, which Perkins immediately accepted.

  By forgoing conventional assumptions and re-framing the problem, Perkins managed to harness ambiguity to great advantage.

•  Act Incrementally (Test and Verify).

  Leadership guru, Jim Collins, offers some further sage advice for navigating uncertainty. When faced with ambiguity he suggests you “fire bullets before shooting cannonballs”. His analogy is on target. After all, it makes sense to make “small caliber” bets (wagers that are inexpensive and low-risk) before concentrating your resources to launch larger efforts. Put simply, low-cost trial and error tests can help clarify uncertainty before you marshal your resources to take on bigger and more ambitious undertakings.

• Tap Your Emotional Intelligence (and Right Brain Thinking). While the capacity to embrace and manage ambiguity is an asset, the ability to reduce it is what separates successful managers from the rest of the pack.

  For instance, management expert Andrew Cox suggest that the implementation of S.M.A.R.T goals (aims that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Framed) can help individuals and organizations steer through vagueness and arrive at clarity.

  Cox relates a story about a large multi-national he worked at where a conflict between the business units and the corporate level resulted in a budgetary process that led to vague and seemingly arbitrary goals that continually proved unrealistic. Here, ambiguity contributed to mutual mistrust, a compliance culture, a lack of commitment, and a high turnover rate.

  The head of one business unit, however, began introducing S.M.A.R.T goals at every level under his direction. He soon created a purpose-driven culture where each manager and employee understood what 3 to 5 metrics were essential to the success of the unit. Performance review meetings were held regularly to measure progress and provide feedback. In this instance, it was the leader who reduced ambiguity by simplifying the budgetary process so that goals were easier to discern and meet. As a result, commitment and enthusiasm remained high, which helped fuel success.

Takeaway

Coping with ambiguity is a business imperative, but managing it is more of an art than a science. Nevertheless, various methods and mindsets have proven useful.

Those who can decrease the need to feel right all the time, worry less about what people will say and spend less time gathering all the data to make a perfect decision, will reach a healthy balance between thinking and taking action.

Break situations into smaller steps and simplify when possible. Do your best to overcome the need for perfection, as the saying goes “done is better then perfect”. When confronted with uncertainty action is invariably more successful than hesitation or paralysis. Indeed, I find that vigorous action in the face of ambiguity stimulates inventiveness and resourcefulness.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Michael Iacona has  20+ years’ cross-industry experience within large multinational companies, works with start-ups and earned dual Masters degrees – an MBA from Columbia Business School and an MS in Information Systems from Pace University.  Having built, led and managed small and large teams, Michael continual evolves his management style. He leads by example and fosters open communication and enjoys coaching team members, capitalizing on their unique talents.