How to Deal with Ambiguity At Work and Stay Productive

How do you deal with ambiguity at work? For instance, if you have to market a new product, what strategy would you choose? Would you play it safe and do something that you know will get the job done. Or would you try something novel, something that could go viral and bring in tremendous results?

As human beings we are more likely to avoid options that seem risky or have highly uncertain outcomes. This phenomenon is referred to as the ambiguity effect. We dislike uncertainty – it makes us uncomfortable.

It is important to mention that in this post I’m not referring to ambiguity that results from poor management practices. Things like role ambiguity, job insecurity, corporate politics and red tape can be detrimental to employee productivity and work satisfaction. This kind of ambiguity is avoidable and should be cleared up.

The ambiguity effect is a cognitive bias that describes how we tend to avoid options for which the probability of success is unknown. We like to play it safe and choose options with more foreseeable outcomes. A novel marketing strategy could reap dividends, but it could also be a big flop.

Examples of Ambiguity at Work

You’re doing a great job at work and your manager asks you to be responsible for something you’re not so experienced in. You may feel hesitant about working in a new area, because it’s not yet clear if you’ll be just as successful as before.

Another example is waiting for feedback from your manager or the results from another department to complete your report. Even if you are under pressure to meet a deadline, you would probably feel uneasy about finalizing your document without all of the relevant information.

Other times when the ambiguity effect can play a role:

1. Working with new coworkers and teams
2. Working under changing conditions, for example switching between home office and on-site work
3. Making a decision when there is conflicting information

The Problem with the Ambiguity Effect

It seems logical to avoid making decisions when the probability of success is uncertain, but there is one big problem. Giving in to the ambiguity effect can greatly limit your progress, because you fail to give various options equal consideration. In other words you dismiss certain possibilities way too soon.

As a result, it’s possible to miss out on the long-term benefits of “riskier” decisions. By risky I don’t mean irresponsible, rather options that at first glance do not seem worthy of consideration.

Furthermore, the ambiguity effect is a possible explanation for why people are reluctant to try out new practices in the workplace. This is problematic because we may commit to suboptimal solutions or practices. Instead of trying out novel approaches or figuring out best practices, we may fail to innovate and improve.

The Benefits of Managing Ambiguity

One remarkable study showed that those who are less risk adverse are more likely to experience higher levels of job and life satisfaction. The reason for this is that such people have a higher ambiguity tolerance. Hence, through a rational decision-making style they end up making better decisions than those who shy away from ambiguity when making decisions.

In this study the context was career choices. Those who were more risk adverse were more likely to have a job that does not align with their interests or personalities. Therefore, they were more likely to have lower job and life satisfaction.

Changing my first job was a “risky” decision. For personal reasons I had to move to another city, but my employer offered to switch my position to 100% home office. At first glance this seemed great! I had a secure job and could just continue right away without the hassle of looking for something else.

After spending time to weigh different options, I decided to quit my job, even before I secured another one. As it turned out, this was a good decision. The job that I ended up getting had better benefits and was a great next step for my personal and professional development.

8 Tips on How to Deal with Ambiguity at Work

More than likely, you will find yourself in a situation in which you have to make a tough decision – the best choice is not so obvious. Perhaps it is a novel situation that is very complex. Or the information that you have is inconsistent and there are some factors that are unpredictable. Here are some tips on how to deal with ambiguity at work.

How to Deal With Ambiguity at Work – Tips 1 – 4

1. Learn to override the initial impulse to avoid ambiguous options and situations. Realize that it’s the default reaction and you DON’T have to go along with it.

2. Take enough time to thoroughly consider ambiguous options. Put in the effort necessary to work through some of the complexity.

3. If possible, carry out mini experiments like a pilot program or conduct a questionnaire to help reduce uncertainty and gather more data. But don’t lose too much time mulling over endless possibilities and swimming in doubt. Inaction will paralyze you. You can’t really begin to figure things out until you try something.

4. Consider not only what can go wrong, but what can go right. The chance of things turning out well is probably just as high as things turning out poorly. Be realistically optimistic!

How to Deal With Ambiguity at Work – Tips 5 – 8

5. Continue to develop your skillset. Enhancing your problem-solving skills can be particularly helpful. Methodically consider the various aspects of the ambiguous situation, proceeding forward step by step until you have analyzed the problem as thoroughly as possible.

6. Remain calm and confident. When confronted with ambiguity it is easy to become insecure and overwhelmed. Remember, you are the expert and are the best person for the job.

7. Amid changing situations, remain flexible and accept that you will have to make decisions without having all the data points. Learn to embrace and feel comfortable with such situations. Develop ambiguity tolerance.

8. Maintain an open communication. Keep communicating with your team members and manager to gain valuable feedback. This will help you to adjust along the way. Don’t have the thought that your decision is forever set in stone. Be open to optimize and adjust things as necessary.

Summary

Even though we don’t like making decisions when a positive outcome is not certain, we can learn to develop ambiguity tolerance. By learning to manage ambiguity, we become even better decision makers. Research shows that by using a rational decision-making style, we are more likely to experience job and life satisfaction.

When facing ambiguous situations remain calm and confident. Don’t default to the easier decision, but investigate more uncertain possibilities. In this way, you won’t miss out on opportunities to grow and reap long-term benefits.

Don’t become “obsolete” because you are afraid to try something new. Thinking that things will always stay the same is a big mistake. It is important to keep learning and advancing your skillset. This will equip you to better manage ambiguous situations when they arise.

References

Xu H. The ripple prediction of ambiguity aversion in career decision-making. J Couns Psychol. 2020 Jan;67(1):123-131.