CONTENTS -- LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES -- Tables -- Figures -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- INTRODUCTION -- PART I UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGE -- 1 WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF "EMBRACING UNCERTAINTY?" -- First, Embracing Uncertainty Provides a Hedge Against Overconfidence -- Second, Embracing Uncertainty Reduces Frustration -- Third, Embracing Uncertainty Fosters Growth, Learning, and Flexibility -- Fourth, Embracing Uncertainty Properly Frames Information -- Fifth, Embracing Uncertainty Encourages More Thoughtful Decision Making -- Sixth, Embracing Uncertainty Helps Foster Synergy -- Seventh, Embracing Uncertainty Encourages Innovation -- Closing Thoughts -- Notes -- Answers to Confidence Quiz (on p. 15) -- 2 WHY DO PEOPLE SUPPRESS UNCERTAINTY? -- Desire to Control Events -- Quest for Efficiency -- Preserving the "Peace" -- Inertia of Success -- Underdeveloped Leadership Skills -- Arrogance -- Unrealistic Expectations -- Closing Thoughts -- Notes -- 3 WHAT IS UNCERTAINTY, ANYWAY? -- What Are the Degrees of Certainty? -- What Makes Us "Certain?" -- What Are the Sources of Uncertainty? -- What Are Some Specific Examples of Things That Are Uncertain? -- What Are the Implications of this View of Uncertainty? -- Concluding Thoughts -- Notes -- 4 HOW IS THE ILLUSION OF CERTAINTY CREATED? -- Over-Emphasizing Planning Processes -- Uncritically Using Research -- Over-Emphasizing Formality in Presentations -- Enforcing Inappropriate Deadlines -- Improperly Using Experts -- Submitting to Authoritarians -- Applying Inappropriate Labels -- Over-Relying on Success Recipes -- Concluding Thoughts -- Notes -- 5 WHAT ARE THE DANGERS OF CREATING ARTIFICIAL CERTAINTY? -- The Cycle of Certainty -- How Does the Certainty Cycle Impact People? -- How Does the Certainty Cycle Impact Organizations? -- Can the Certainty Cycle Be Broken? -- Closing Thoughts -- Notes.

PART II EMBRACING THE CHALLENGE -- 6 HOW CAN YOU "EMBRACE UNCERTAINTY?" -- The Model -- Key Concepts of the Model -- Implications -- Concluding Thoughts -- Notes -- 7 HOW CAN YOU CULTIVATE AN AWARENESS OF UNCERTAINTY? -- Misconceptions -- How Can You Personally Cultivate an Awareness of Uncertainty? -- How Can You Get Your Organization to Embrace Uncertainty? -- Concluding Thoughts -- Notes -- 8 HOW CAN YOU PROCESS UNCERTAINTY? -- Misconceptions -- How Can You Personally Process Uncertainty? -- How Can You Get Your Organization to Process Uncertainty? -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 9 HOW CAN YOU CATALYZE ACTION DURING UNCERTAIN TIMES? -- How Can You Personally Catalyze Action? -- How Can You Get Your Organization to Catalyze Action During Uncertain Times? -- Concluding Thoughts -- Notes -- 10 DOES "EMBRACING UNCERTAINTY" REALLY WORK? -- Personal Application Issues -- Work-Related Issues -- "How Far Do You Go?" Issues -- Ethical Issues -- Tendency Issues -- Next-Step Issues -- Notes -- Further Reading -- APPENDICES -- Appendix A THE WORKING CLIMATE SURVEY -- Objective -- Instructions -- Section A: These Questions Concern Your Preferred Individual Style of Working -- Section B: The Following Questions Concern Your Work Environment -- Appendix B SCORING AND INTERPRETING THE WORKING CLIMATE SURVEY -- Scoring Section A-Personal Uncertainty (PU) -- Scoring Section B - Work Environment Uncertainty (WEU) -- Interpreting Your Overall Scores -- Appendix C NORMATIVE DATA RESULTS -- Appendix D THE HISTORY OF THE INSTRUMENT -- Phase One -- Phase Two -- Phase Three -- ABOUT THE AUTHORS -- INDEX.