The Need For ‘Techno-Supporting Skeptics’

Ambiguity is the possibility of having no good answer for a problem — or having multiple, equally defensible answers. In situations characterized by ambiguity, executives need a clear sense of their values to move forward.

Consider nuclear energy: Many thoughtful people think it should be in the portfolio of tools to counter global warming. Other, equally thoughtful people disagree because fissile materials like uranium and plutonium pose a high risk to life. Both groups are right, and both are wrong.

Digital technologies will relentlessly continue to increase the high levels of ambiguity that executives must navigate. Aside from being broadly informed, how should an objective leader decide what to do when faced with such issues?

Unfortunately, aspiring leaders often respond by ignoring the challenge. But that’s not sustainable. Instead, they must respond to ambiguity by harboring healthy skepticism of the digital technologies they champion. Moreover, at the individual level, they must develop values that will lead to better decisions, and, at the organizational level, they must institutionalize those values.

It’s these values that will guide leaders in the absence of right answers or the presence of many equally valid ones. Leaders will know when to proverbially “fall on their sword” and make decisions based on principle.