Ambiguity Can Help You Excel in the Workplace
What’s the best quality in a co-worker? Some would say confidence, or maybe organization, but a recent study at Brown University would say it’s ambiguity.
Oriel FeldmanHall, the author of this study, says that people who are tolerant of ambiguity are more likely to cooperate with and trust co-workers. Her results show that ambiguity tolerance is positively correlated with the amount of cooperation. Being able to tolerate ambiguity can lead to greater social behavior. One is viewed as less of a risk if they are a “no-questions-asked” trustworthy, tolerant person.
Being able to tolerate ambiguity shows pro-social behavior, which leads to greater cooperation, a key quality to have in the workplace. It also shows that you can cope with change, uncertainty and risk as well as make decisions better than an employee who may not have the same tolerant attitude. Most individuals show an aversion to uncertainty, which can result in the opposite of these qualities.
In the study, FeldmanHall and her colleagues performed a series of experiments where 200 volunteers completed an individual gambling game to assess their risk and uncertainty tolerance. Then, they moved on to play social games in which they had to decide whether to cooperate with or trust other players.
In the first experiment, the results showed that ambiguity tolerance can be positively correlated with the amount of cooperation. In the second study, FeldmanHall found that those who could tolerate ambiguity chose to trust a partner even if they knew the person did not always behave in a trustworthy way in the past.
“Because we do not have full knowledge of others’ feelings or intentions, it can be hard to figure out whether it is best to trust another person with money or information, for example, or cooperate with them when one’s well-being is at stake,” said FeldmanHall.
So, maybe that client or employee who seems a little closed off and uninterested might lead to a better workplace environment for everyone involved.
Savannah Patton
Savannah Patton is the ICF Communications Assistant and a freelance writer for Kentucky Sports Radio. She graduated in May 2016 from the University of Kentucky with a bachelor's degree in Integrated Strategic Communications with a focus in Public Relations.
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That’s a very interesting perspective. Thanks! Being able to deal with ambiguity isn’t normally mentioned as a desirable trait, but I can see this insight is useful. Perhaps as coaches we need to consider how individuals can be encouraged to be more flexible in how they view the world and events around them. Another thought is that someone has to be comfortable in his/her own skin to be able to survive ambiguity. If someone is insecure or unsure of her/himself, ambiguity can trigger self-doubt and stress. This is, of course, another area for coaches to think about!