by Karla Brandau, CSP
“Let’s nail this down!” Sounds like the most productive thing to do, right? You  are getting to the point, ruling out bad options and moving forward. Not so fast! It could be the wrong choice. If you make a decision based on what you know right now, the ambiguity in the situation is wiped away. Ambiguity could be the component that makes you get it right for the marketplace or for your customer.

A word or phrase is said to be ambiguous if it has at least two specific meanings that make sense in context.

Example: "I'll give you a ring tomorrow" could signify either the promise of a gift of jewelry or merely an intention to telephone. The words in this sentence are not exact, perhaps arbitrary, and must be understood in the context of assumptions.

A product or project has a component of ambiguity if two or more final versions could make sense. Ambiguity increases the range of possible interpretations and outcomes. Most often, we look at our product for our potential marketplace or the product the customer has requested and try to envision how that product or project will look in the final form. This final form could hold two or more specific outcomes, all good, but not necessarily the best for you or your organization, or not the best for your customer.

Making a decision without working thorough the ambiguity inherent in critical projects decreases the potential of exploring alternate answers that may be better than the first answer most of the team members wanted to nail down.

Ambiguity is good because it makes you think on new levels, analyze overlooked points, use critical thinking, conduct market research, do interviews of key people, configure “what if” scenarios about the possible outcomes. When this happens, you make your finished product better. The final version of the product or project is often ambiguous and fuzzy, much like this picture. Can you make out two different people? If you can see two different people,

it is because you focused on the figure, studied it, looked at it from different angles, and then you were illuminated with two different figures in your mind.

Similarly, your “right” answer to a new product or a project that is stymied, may lay in focusing on it and the ambiguity surrounding it: the foggy, fuzzy forms it could take as it unfolds.

The key to success, however, is not letting the ambiguity and the uncertainty of the final product stop productivity. Ambiguity can cause confusion and shutdown if your organization or individuals in your organization demand absolute clarity before they proceed.

Some people inherently don't like situations where new variables can emerge and influence the finished product. They prefer to follow project plans that are well designed from start to finish with no variation. They are impatient with new data and continually assert that we “have to nail this down.” They want a decision on “which way” and they want it NOW. They are nervous in the face of the unknown and unproductive until decisions are made.

We're all being asked to tolerate more ambiguity these days. If you're in a role of leadership or responsibility, there's no doubt you must make room for surprises and uncertain outcomes. If you catch a vision of the benefit of ambiguity, teach the people who work with you to recognize the value of ambiguity.

Encourage them to leave their comfort zone and focus on the ambiguity. Help them see there's more than one way to accomplish a task, more than one shape the final product can have.

Take advantage of ambiguity. Use it to help you and your organization stay on the cutting edge.

Tips:  

1. Act on parts of the project that are the most certain, leaving those with the greatest ambiguity to “settle” or “cook” on the back burner. They will become clearer.
2. Move forward with faith. Take the positive, not the pessimistic attitude, that you will make everything work. You will get it right regardless of the twists and turns the project takes.
3. Permit the project to be flexible. Allow time to make adjustments that allow for new information.
4. Increase your tolerance for ambiguity by frequently leaving your comfort zone and trying new things.