Dealing with Uncertainty - Essay Example

Uncertainty Management Introduction Dealing with uncertainty is one the major challenges that individuals face in their personal and work lives. Mostpeople are unable to easily deal with uncertain situations as it induces certain amount of change. The resistance to change makes it further difficult for individuals to cope with an uncertain situation (Brashers, 2001). A well perceived change that is set to arise in future, however, reduces the scope of uncertainty and facilitates easy adaptation. In reality, not all uncertain situations can be forecasted. Uncertain situations occur multiple times in the lives of people and it is necessary to show greater acceptance towards the same (Egan, 2013). Successful managers and companies accept the fact that uncertainty is an unavoidable factor in business. It cannot be accurately predicted when an economic meltdown can arise or ways in which impacts would occur in the business environment worldwide. As a result, strategic managers and administrators stress upon formulating alternative plans in order to meet with uncertainty. A back-up plan may also prove unsuitable for meeting an uncertain situation as it cannot be precisely predicted how and what type of an uncertain situation an organization might face in future (Van den Bos, 2001). Regardless of extremity of the uncertain situation, a business is required to take action and cope with it promptly. There is also adequate level of uncertainty in the personal lives of most individuals. Individuals must learn to accept uncertainty as an integral part of life from the way in which a business organization operates. When they are faced with an uncertain situation, it is essential that immediate actions or thinking is undertaken without wasting time upon grieving about it. (Van den Bos and Lind, 2002). Coping with uncertainty One of the effective ways of managing an uncertain situation is to accept the fact that not all aspects of life can be controlled. For instance, it is not possible for individuals to stop a natural disaster from happening. It is important to realize that human control is limited and that the life of most individuals is a result of interaction between various aspects (Conner, 2006). When these aspects alter, an uncertain situation gets developed. For instance, the careless work of a mechanic might cause an engine failure of a car, leading to a major accident. The people travelling in the car could not have predicted such a situation. Similarly, how and when the actions of other people can affect our lives is beyond our control (McGregor, et al., 2001). Individuals should, therefore, concentrate upon shifting from trying to control uncertain situations to that which lies within our capability. The precautionary and careful measures taken, which are in our control, might help to avoid uncertain situations to certain extent (Halpern, 2003). Individuals must realize the aspect that the reality of life is shaped by thoughts. The response people show towards different situations is driven by their perceptions (Nowotny, Scott and Gibbons, 2013). Negative thinking weakens the level of motivation and creative ability to devise ways for solving critical issues. Negative thinking compels individuals to shift away from finding a solution and dealing with the issue. Gathering thoughts and focusing on the problem with a positive belief that there is a suitable solution for the problem is a more helpful way to deal with situations of uncertainty. Positive approach enables the mind to work upon solving the problem, thereby building up motivation (Fry, 2000). An example of a complex problem relating to uncertainty management is one that arises when individuals engage themselves in starting a new business. Entrepreneurs remain uncertain whether the business will be a profitable venture or worth investing. Many individuals withdraw from such a venture, reckoning that the possibility of risks and losses are very high (Leana and Barry, 2000). The feeling of unsettlement makes individuals nervous. The situation is complex because motivational thinking is reduced in long run. When individuals increasingly withdraw themselves from taking actions due to the perception that uncertain risks may arise, an attitude of refraining is developed, which impacts most areas of our life. Such individuals also find it difficult to take simple decisions. These problems can be effectively dealt with by using the theories of complexity (Greenhaus, Callanan and Godshalk, 2009). Tuning to the edge of chaos Tuning to the edge of chaos is an important principle associated with complexity and can be useful for entrepreneurs venturing into a new business while dealing with the uncertainties associated. This principle states that when individuals are faced with an unprecedented situation, they should think about the worst case scenario that may result from the problem. Measures and actions must be taken by the individuals accordingly (Heckhausen, Wrosch and Schulz, 2010). When individuals are prepared to face the worst, there is adequate confidence in them to accept any kind of consequences. Tuning to the edge of chaos principle upholds the belief that it is important to remain prepared for any type of situation that may arise in future. Therefore, there is less impact of the uncertain consequences (Lind and Van den Bos, 2002). Embracing paradox Dealing with an uncertain situation is similar to a disorienting experience, where individuals lack rational thinking due to tension and lack of clarity of future scenarios. Inability to think rationally leads individuals to lose control and withdraw from taking action. A sense of helplessness gets developed (Furedi, 2004). The effective way to deal with such a situation is to embrace the paradox element and bring about improvements. Embracing paradox is an important principle of the complexity theories and is useful in gaining direction when faced with the issues of uncertainty in a new business venture. It becomes necessary to focus upon a specific aspect amidst chaos and develop solutions and plans of actions accordingly. Such measures give a suitable direction and helps in attaining authority and control over the situation (Power, 2004). Conclusion An uncertain situation induces change. It has been observed that people who exhibit a lower resistance to change are able to effectively handle uncertainty. People who resist change are majorly individuals who have a planned approach to life. It is important that individuals reflect a positive approach to change. Only then is it possible to solve an uncertain issue and be pro-active. Keeping focus upon the subject matter, as opposed to being dismayed, plays a crucial role in dealing with uncertainty. With reduced disorientation, individuals are able to focus under such circumstances, thereby being able to overcome the uncertain condition easily. Reference List Brashers, D. E., 2001. Communication and uncertainty management. Journal of Communication, 51(3), pp. 477-497. Conner, D. R., 2006. Managing at the speed of change: How resilient managers succeed and prosper where others fail. New York: Random House LLC. Egan, G., 2013. The skilled helper: A problem-management and opportunity-development approach to helping. Connecticut: Cengage Learning. Fry, P. S., 2000. Religious involvement, spirituality and personal meaning for life: Existential predictors of psychological wellbeing in community-residing and institutional care elders. Aging & Mental Health, 4(4), pp. 375-387. Furedi, F., 2004. Therapy culture: Cultivating vulnerability in an uncertain age. New York: Psychology Press. Greenhaus, J. H., Callanan, G. A. and Godshalk, V. M., 2009. Career management. London: Sage. Halpern, J. Y., 2003. Reasoning about uncertainty. Cambridge: MIT press. Heckhausen, J., Wrosch, C. and Schulz, R., 2010. A motivational theory of life-span development. Psychological review, 117(1), pp. 32. Leana, C. R. and Barry, B., 2000. Stability and change as simultaneous experiences in organizational life. Academy of Management Review, 25(4), pp. 753-759. Lind, E. A. and Van den Bos, K., 2002. When fairness works: Toward a general theory of uncertainty management. Research in organizational behavior, 24, pp. 181-223. McGregor, I., Zanna, M. P., Holmes, J. G. and Spencer, S. J., 2001. Compensatory conviction in the face of personal uncertainty: going to extremes and being oneself. Journal of personality and social psychology, 80(3), pp. 472. Nowotny, H., Scott, P. and Gibbons, M. T., 2013. Re-thinking science: knowledge and the public in an age of uncertainty. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Power, M., 2004. The risk management of everything: Rethinking the politics of uncertainty. London: Demos. Van den Bos, K. and Lind, E. A., 2002. Uncertainty management by means of fairness judgments. Advances in experimental social psychology, 34, pp. 1-60. Van den Bos, K., 2001. Uncertainty management: the influence of uncertainty salience on reactions to perceived procedural fairness. Journal of personality and social psychology, 80(6), pp. 931. Read More