Management techniques such as strategic planning, project management or operational budgeting, attempt to reduce ambiguity and provide clarity. It is one of the great ironies of modern corporate life that they often end up doing the opposite: increasing ambiguity rather than reducing it.

It is easy enough to understand why: organizations are complex entities and it is unreasonable to expect management models, such as those that fit neatly into a 2*2 matrix or a predetermined checklist, to work in the real world. Indeed, expecting them to work as advertised is akin to colouring a paint-by-numbers Mona Lisa with the expectation of recreating Da Vinci’s masterpiece. Ambiguity remains untamed, and reality reimposes itself no matter how alluring the model is…but yet we persist in using such models.

Why?

Unfortunately, most of us have a deep aversion to situations that involve even a hint of ambiguity. Recent research in neuroscience has revealed the reason for this: ambiguity is processed in the parts of the brain which regulate our emotional responses. As a result, many people associate ambiguity with feelings of anxiety.

When kids feel anxious, they turn to transitional objects such as teddy bears or security blankets, providing them with a sense of stability when situations or events seem overwhelming. In this book, we show that as grown-ups we don’t stop using teddy bears – it is just that the teddies we use take a different, more corporate, form. Drawing on research, we discuss how management models, fads and frameworks are actually akin to teddy bears. They provide the same sense of comfort and certainty to corporate managers and minions as real teddies do to distressed kids.

Most children usually outgrow their need for teddies as they mature and learn to cope with their childhood fears. However, if development is disrupted or arrested in some way, the transitional object can become a fetish – an object that is held on to with a pathological intensity, simply for the comfort that it offers in the face of ambiguity. The corporate reliance on simplistic solutions for the complex challenges faced is akin to little Johnny believing that everything will be OK provided he clings on to Teddy.

When this happens you, the manager, need to find ways to help Johnny overcome his fear of ambiguity (as well as your own).

Ambiguity is a primal force that drives much of our behavior. It is typically viewed negatively – something to be avoided or to be controlled. The truth, however, is that it is a force that can be used in positive ways too. The Force that gave the Dark Side their power in the Star Wars movies was harnessed by the Jedi in positive ways.This new management book shows you how ambiguity, so common in the corporate world, can be harnessed to achieve outstanding results

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About the Author

Paul Culmsee (@paulculmsee) Paul is a management consultant, business strategist, sensemaker and award winning author with more than 25 years of experience. Based in Perth, Western Australia, he co-founded Seven Sigma Business Solutions and specialises in sensemaking, helping organisations (re)discover their purpose, knowledge management, strategic planning, IT governance, facilitation and all facets of SharePoint and Office365 delivery. Paul is one of only four Cognexus Certified Dialogue Mappers in the world. He and his wife have the best two children in the world and live in Perth, Australia. Web: www.sevensigma.com.au Blog: www.cleverworkarounds.com Twitter: http: //www.twitter.com/paulculmsee LinkedIn: https: //au.linkedin.com/in/paul-culmsee-business-strategist-sensemaker-3555853

Kailash Awati: (@kailashawati) Kailash is co-founder and principal of Sensanalytics, a consultancy specialising in sensemaking and analytics. Prior to this, he worked for a pharmaceutical multinational where he set up a global IT service centre specializing in business intelligence, while initiating and running data analytics projects across the business. Over the last several years, he has worked as a data and analytics geek; facilitator and sensemaker; data / information architect; project manager and engineering software developer in organisations ranging from startups to established firms. Earlier, in what seems to him like another life, he did research in fluid dynamics and other areas of physics and applied mathematics. Aside from sensemaking and analytics, his professional interests include knowledge management, project management, risk analysis and emergent (low risk, low cost) approaches to developing new capabilities in organisations. Kailash lives in Sydney, Australia with his wife and two wonderful children. Web: www.sensanalytics.com Blog: eight2late.wordpress.com Twitter: http: //www.twitter.com/kailashawati LinkedIn: https: //au.linkedin.com/in/kailash-awati-3517a711

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The Heretic's Guide to Management | The Art of Harnessing Ambiguity

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