Lack of Uncertainty Absorption
Systems which cultivate a lack of uncertainty absorption are in chronic stress. The symptoms which develop, are broad. Some frequently arising phenomena are briefly described:
People become permanently fearful, unreliable or clinging in relationships, slip into brooding or into rapidly changing emotional moods. Decisions which lack stability lead to chaos or paralysis. Teams rub up against each other in endless discussions, split into sub groups that fight each other or are isolated from each other. They can never finalise anything, because it is unclear when they have finished or when something is good enough. The management comes under fire and mutual criticisms dominate the interactions. Organisations lose their grounding and the commitment of their members. Informal communications dominate by means of rumours. The information flow ceases. Hedging activities, micro-politics and struggles for influence increase. Orientation is either one-sidedly towards goals and strategy (and other forms of uncertainty and ambiguous goals are ignored), or it one-sidedly muddles through and optimises the status quo (and changes in the market are not perceived or taken seriously).
Therefore, great importance is attached to the attentiveness and reflection upon this focal point. For one, it is important to check whether sufficient certainty is being created, and for the other, whether sufficient uncertainty tolerance exists as a competence. Often an attempt is made (even by consultants and coaches) to only generate more certainty (which is often not possible). This is why ‘agile’ competences gain more significance, because here work is carried out on the tolerance levels when dealing with uncertainty.