PERSONAL UNCERTAINITY IN ORGANIZATION INTEREST
1.Oscar Munoz, CEO of United Airlines once stated the obvious; “Uncertainty creates doubt and doubt always creates fear”. The present situation fills me with trepidation as a conversation starter for last few months with me, be it in the squalor of South Block or the serenity of snow capped mountains is; “When are we getting the good news”. Had it not been for my age and a surgical procedure I could have counted down to the nine months required for giving good news to people but even with seven and a half months down, I am operating in an information vacuum which is not of my doing. The ‘good news’ question today is a sure fire means for epicaricacy for friends and not so friends alike. Sane advice or reassurances like, it is going to happen soon, or anytime now remind me of a Bollywood dialogue; “tareek par tareek judge sahib” and I don’t even have the ability to smite someone with a hand pump or use a 2.5 kg hand as the protagonist of the dialogue could have done. The only sane response then is an exasperated heaven ward glance and a cuss word under the breadth to some very deserving candidates. While I could have gone on this satirical diatribe for long as one has lived it for seven and a half months now, the question which beleaguers my puny mind is not personal but systemic. How has the system which has held up this organization for so long becoming so capricious?
2.Simon Senek in one of his books had talked of a ‘circle of safety’ and more the people in an organization feel marginalized and at the fringes the more paranoid they are likely to become. I can totally empathize with his views now. Much of the research regarding effective communications on issues of uncertainty comes from the human resources field, where lack of information and organizational apathy have been shown to cause employee stress. While communication alone cannot decrease uncertainties or the concerns that go along with it, the lack of good “uncertainty communications” has been proven to have detrimental effects: organizational inefficiencies, low morale, high turnover, and emotional triggers to a melt down or All Burnt Point; something I had talked of in one of previous missives.
3.The human resource management of an organization like the Armed Forces where this commodity is the difference between victory and defeat needs to be brought under scrutiny. ‘Playing Friend Not God’ is a great tag line but it brings to fore one singular concern, where did the idea that they could even be Gods arise from. This corporate of Godliness has to look beyond numbers and data and attribute a human face to the number and all its afflictions with it. Humane is key to human resource. Another Hollywood flick which comes to mind is ‘Bruce Almighty’ where the inbox got flooded and the protagonist got swamped by yellow stick pads. If human resource was so simple and algorithmic why did we need the best of the organization to man it and why not let computers do the job dispassionately and inhumanly? The other challenge is lack of communication and inabilities of the organization to keep the affected personnel informed and allay their uncertainty.
4.People process communications according to their own perceptions which are influenced by their cognitive disposition to the immediate situation and environmental factors. For example, personnel under stress experience “mental noise” that can cause them to lose up to 80% of their ability to process information. The remaining 20% is often focused on issues of high concern to the individual, rather than on issues deemed important to management. Key findings about communication in uncertain environments include:-
(a)When people can’t get information from their own organization or leadership, they turn to other sources because information-seeking behaviour is the most common response to feelings of uncertainty. Some of these information sources may be unreliable or operate with agendas, both of which can generate more stress about the uncertainty (e.g., whispers in the corridors, social media, the internet and each other).
(b)When concerns are high and/or trust is low, the “how” of communication is as or more important than the “what.” Yes, facts are important, but when uncertainties are involved, people want to know that someone cares about them, their concerns and their well-being. Perceptions of indifference and nonchalance to individual concerns especially when stakes are high are the most detrimental factor affecting the credibility of the information and the information source. Yet too often, communication during times of uncertainty is shut down completely.
5.The organization needs to recognize these challenges and very basic human needs which may attenuate the performance capital of the runners of the system. Some pointers if someone is willing to take note are:-
(a)Recognize that, in all cases, the most effective communication is a conversation between leaders and the led, not a one-way information dissemination process that happens only after all details are worked out.
(b)Identify the communication needs and expectations of both leaders and the led. The most effective uncertainty communication approach involves a partnership that integrates the communication needs and expectations of those at the helm and those impacted by the chaos.
(c)Understand and appreciate the temporal matrix and cognitive impact of information sharing. Sending emails when new information is available may impact employee awareness in the short-term (which also is farfetched at the present moment), but emails alone will rarely motivate or change people in a significant way, or generate a desired action. Awareness, motivation and action are very different, particularly when communicating about uncertainties. The ultimate test for a communication strategy involving uncertainties is to shape actions of the led. A strong communication process can affect that and at present is lacking.
(d)The simple act of listening to the ‘silent majority’ is one of the most compelling gestures to demonstrate care and empathy for those concerned, and to strengthen trust; all attributes known to help reduce uncertainties.
6.VUCA has become a trendy military acronym: short for volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, and a catchall for “Hey, it’s crazy out there!” It’s also misleading: VUCA conflates four distinct types of challenges that demand four distinct types of responses while in operations. However the situation one finds right now is also VUCA with a magnified “U= Uncertainty” making it difficult to know how to approach this challenging situation, after all, you can’t prepare for a VUCA world. “Business is all about risk taking and managing uncertainties and turbulence.” says Gautam Adani, the business tycoon, it may be true for businesses but when it comes to humans, I think mitigating uncertainties may be better than managing them and turbulence is best minimized or it may just create a ripple effect large enough to sink the ship.
