1. Gary Agnew
Excelsior College
COMM120: FOUNDATIONS OF
COMMUNICATION
Dr. Teresa Williams

2.  Usually in communications we strive for a
clear, concise message. However, that may not
always be the best way to communicate. This
presentation will briefly examine the
personality variable Tolerance for Ambiguity and
its effect on communication.

3. Yes … that was an ambiguity joke.

4.  The ability to express more than one
interpretation
 Differs from vagueness in that specific and
distinct interpretations are permitted
 Ambiguity is context dependant

5.  The ability to perceive ambiguity in information
and behavior in a neutral and open way
 Wilkinson’s Ambiguity Advantage defines types
of leaders and their differing degrees of ambiguity
tolerance

6.  Mode One – Technical Leadership. These leaders usually deal with
ambiguity by denial or creating their own certainty. They are also more
dictatorial and are very risk averse by nature.
 Mode Two – Cooperative Leadership. The aim of mode two leaders is to
disambiguate uncertainty and to build teams around them to mitigate
risk.
 Mode Three – Collaborative Leadership. Mode three leaders have a
tendency towards consensual methods of leadership. They prefer to work
towards aligning team members values and getting agreement. Their
approach to ambiguity is for the group to examine it.
 Mode Four – Generative Leadership. These leaders use ambiguity to find
opportunity. They tend to be inveterate learners and innovators.
(Wilkinson, D. 2006)

7.  Some find ambiguity as an opportunity; others
see it as a threat.
Kajs, L.T. & McCollum, D.L. (2009)

8.  Some professions like counseling encourage
students to learn ambiguity tolerance
“Ambiguity tolerance must be further developed in order for
students to develop into counselors who are not only competent
but also able to articulate how they arrived at their own unique
approaches to counseling.”
Levitt, D. & Jacques, J.D. (2005)

9. “Managers who wish to foster creativity
should attempt to incubate moderate levels of role ambiguity
by reducing extreme rigidity in job descriptions”
Shuhong, W., Xiaomeng, Z., & Martocchio, J. (2011).

10.  Sometimes tolerance for ambiguity is desirable
– sometimes it isn’t.
 Let the situation dictate the method that is the
best choice.

11.  Higher tolerance for ambiguity can facilitate
new ideas and creative thinking.
 It can be helpful when communicating in a
situation where the communicators do not
speak the same native language.

12.  The best communication techniques aren’t
always black and white.
 You are who you are – knowing your own
personality and its relationship to ambiguity
tolerance can be a big help in effective
communication.

13. Kajs, L. T., & McCollum, D. L. (2009). Examining Tolerance for Ambiguity in
the Domain of Educational Leadership. Academy Of Educational Leadership
Journal, 13(2), 1.
Levitt, D., & Jacques, J. D. (2005). Promoting Tolerance for Ambiguity in
Counselor Training Programs. Journal Of Humanistic Counseling,
Education & Development, 44(1), 46-54.
Shuhong, W., Xiaomeng, Z., & Martocchio, J. (2011). Thinking Outside of the
Box When the Box Is Missing: Role Ambiguity and Its Linkage to
Creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 23(3), 211- 221.
doi:10.1080/10400419.2011.595661
Wilkinson, D. (2006). The Ambiguity Advantage: What Great Leaders are Great At.
NY: Palgrave Macmillan.