Published by Scott Neilson on 26 Jun 2009
Making Sense of Ambiguity
Ambiguity is, by definition, a lack of clarity. In one of my earlier posts I discussed the importance of establishing clarity as an element of earning the commitment of employees to the goals and objectives of the business. Without clarity people are not sure in which direction they are going, how they are going to get there, nor their role in getting there. Consequently, they will not commit to supporting your goals and objectives.
However, leaders often find themselves in situations which lack that kind of clarity. How do they bring clarity to situations in which the information they are working with is ambiguous or incomplete?
First, leaders need to understand that they must be comfortable operating in an environment that is not always well defined; it goes with the territory of leading.
Second, leaders need to accept the fact that the higher their level in an organization the more complex decisions become. That complexity comes from a lack of information, conflicting information, or conflicting goals among those affected by the decisions to be made.
Finally, leaders need to accept the fact that not all situations can be fully and immediately clarified, and that they may need to operate in a gray zone for some period of time. They need to accept that coming to closure on an issue is NOT always the right thing to do. Sometimes it is best to let a situation progress until more information becomes available.
Therein lays a big part of the problem for leaders. The difficulty for leaders in ambiguous situations is that they often feel that a decision must be made, a conclusion must be reached, and that THEY must make THE right decision and come to closure NOW. Often they find themselves frozen because of the complexity of arriving at the single right decision that satisfies everyone. They need to keep in mind that often there is no single right decision. The important piece is that people need DIRECTION from the leader, not necessarily THE SINGLE RIGHT DECISION.
However, leaders must also be aware that it is more difficult for employees to exist in a gray zone than it is for the leader. Therefore, they need to recognize that each step they take in leading their businesses through complex issues requires redefining and reestablishing clarity for their teams. In complex and ambiguous situations, the leader should define the direction in which the organization will move, and make it clear that at each step along that path he/she will redefine and communicate the right next step as necessary to get to the desired goal.
How do you do that?
- First, get clear on what information you will need to reach that final conclusion. Be relentless about working toward and getting that information.
- Meanwhile, lay out the action plans for all the options you are considering. Look for the overlaps in actions associated with any of those options, and take those actions while you accumulate more information. That enables you to move the organization forward while keeping as many options open as possible.
- Make small decisions that move you toward a conclusion but which also keep as many of those options open as possible.
- Identify indicators which will confirm or refute your choice as being the right one, and monitor those indicators.
- Reassess, redefine and take the next step accordingly.
- At some point the final decision will become clear and you can move to closure.
Do not feel pressured to have THE all encompassing answer immediately. Be mindful of the goal you are trying to reach, the general direction you must take to get there, and steps that will move you continuously in that direction. Take one step at a time and reassess. Determine the next step and communicate.
It is like navigating a ship in the fog. First rule: slow down. Second rule: make small moves so you have time to change them if they prove to be wrong, but keep moving in the direction you need to go.