In Defense of Ambiguity

principles and practices of FAILING WELL Vanity Validation a Paradox of Passionate Commitmentblog: jabe.co

In Defense of Ambiguity@cyetain

Joshua (Jabe) Bloom CTO : The Library Corporation & TLC Labs #lkce12 blog http://jabe.co Send Anonymous Feedback http://sayat.me/jabebloom@cyetain

To envision the the types technology TLC may reasonably be expected produce in 5-10 years and to prepare the staff of TLC to envision, create, produce, and support that software.@cyetain

Neurosis is the inability to tolerate ambiguity. -Sigmund Freud@cyetain

Psychological or spiritual development always requires a greater capacity for anxiety and ambiguity. -Carl Jung@cyetain

What Do You Mean By Ambiguity Disambiguating Ambiguity@cyetain

there is a sort of meaning (of ambiguity), the sort that people are thinking of when they say ‘this poet will mean more to you when you have had more experiences of life’... -William Empson@cyetain

Clarity of Ambiguity@cyetain

Ignorance Preserving Statements@cyetain

Minimalist, clear, informed, ignorance preserving statements, allowing multiple concurrent plausible explanations or solutions.@cyetain

“Management literature is virtually unanimous about the value of goal setting, although implementations of it are often quite terrible. Goals are necessary for expressing directives.” -Jurgen Appelo@cyetain

If any one idea about leadership has inspired organizations for thousands of years, its the capacity to hold a shared picture of the future we seek to create -Peter Senge@cyetain

“When you seek it, you cannot find it” -Zen Proverb@cyetain

“Most systems thinking approaches focus on defining an ideal future state, then seek to close the gap.” -David Snowden@cyetain

Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating. -Karl Von Clausewitz@cyetain

The most important figures that one needs for management are unknown or unknowable, but successful management must nevertheless take account of them. -Deming@cyetain

Is It Possible to Design Systems That Tolerate Uncertainty? Can We Use Ambiguity Tolerance as an Advantage?@cyetain

cognitive edge

Ambiguous Methods Current ? UNCERTAINTY ? GOAL State of How@cyetain

Ambiguous Goals GOAL GOAL ? Current ? ? ? State ? ? GOAL GOAL UNCERTAINTY of What@cyetain

Visual Ambiguity@cyetain

EXERCISE REMOVED please contact me if you would like a copy of the exercise@cyetain

•Direction can Collapse Ambiguity •Ambiguity Makes it difficult to create a shared vision •Just because you Know something doesn’t mean you can experience it •Specificity can be dangerous@cyetain

Zeckhausers Problem@cyetain

EXERCISE REMOVED if you would like a copy of the exercise please contact me: jabe@cyetain.com@cyetain

Risk Aversion vs Ambiguity Aversion@cyetain

An Abstract Narrative The Story of Many Projects@cyetain

Attention Time@cyetain

@cyetain Attention Time Ideal Future State

@cyetain Attention Zone Of Planning Time Ideal Future State

Authoritative Leaders are “the ones who are supposed to know.”Finalized Goal is positioned as the final answer to the most important question: “how do we succeed”?Rigid Parameters defined by the plan to close the gap are the lines separating success and failure ~Thomas Wendt http://www.slideshare.net/ThomasMWendt/context-in-mobile-ux-strategy-the-importance-of-being-ﬁckle @cyetain

Complex Complicated Simpliﬁed Chaotic Simple@cyetain

Interval of Expectation Attention Ideal Future State Zone Of Planning Ofﬁcial Start of Project Time@cyetain

Interval of Expectation Attention Ideal Future State Zone Of Planning Ofﬁcial Start of Project ~15% of Project Left Time@cyetain

Interval of Expectation Attention Ideal Future State Zone Of SURPRISE! Zone Of Planning Ofﬁcial Start of Project ~15% of Project Left Time@cyetain

Interval of Expectation Management Interaction Gap Attention Ideal Future State Zone Of SURPRISE! Zone Of Planning Ofﬁcial Start of Project ~15% of Project Left Time@cyetain

Complex Complicated Simpliﬁed Chaotic Simple@cyetain

Collapse Imposition@cyetain

The Manager’s Challenge@cyetain

What is the Cost of Consensus?@cyetain

Volition the Basis for Action@cyetain

@cyetain

Complex Complicated Chaotic Simple@cyetain

It is VERY Hard to Create Shared Communal Knowledge About Novel Behavior and Information@cyetain

It is VERY Easy to Cause a Collapse of Novel Behavior@cyetain

Negative Capability, that is, when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason -John Keats@cyetain

What We Are Trying at TLC Labs Things you might try at home@cyetain

when we stand in the zendo we have some rules. But the purpose of these rules is not to make everyone the same, but to allow each to express his own self most freely -Shunryu Suzuki@cyetain

Re-Invest Efficiency Gains in Exploration & Innovation@cyetain

Short Cycle Times are a Capability@cyetain

Iterative Learning vs Incremental Development@cyetain

Flow Towards Customer Start Here@cyetain

Flow Towards Customer Variability Lowers As We Move Towards Delivery Kill Queues & Minimize Cycle Time This Way Start Here@cyetain

It isn’t Unfair or Anti-Humanist to treat Machines like Machines (look for opportunities to automate)@cyetain

Distributed Thinking vs Diverse Thinking@cyetain

Complex Complicated Constrained Goal Driven Self - Direction Self - Organization Authoritative Directed Chaotic Simple@cyetain

Complex Complicated Constrained Goal Driven Self - Direction Self - Organization Leader: Leader: Why Why & What Team Members: Experts: What & How How Leader: Leader: What & NOW What & How Authoritative Directed Chaotic Simple@cyetain

People who operate under their own autonomy are more likely to care about their work, notice and react to changes in context and be innovative@cyetain

When innovation is required to solve novel problems, diverse perspectives allow the organization to “see around corners”@cyetain

The shorter the distance between relevant information and people making decisions, the better likelihood there is that good decisions will be made@cyetain

Faster cycle times are driven by distributed decision making. Faster cycle times mean less “big bet” risks. Combined with customer interaction, faster cycle times result in higher quality software and higher customer satisfaction@cyetain

Utilize Abduction & Scientific Method Just Say No to Xenophobia@cyetain

!= Multi-Hypothesis Research@cyetain

BRAINSTORM@cyetain

Theories Opinions Hypothesizes The Facts and Just the Facts@cyetain

Theories Opinions Hypothesizes Constraints Criteria@cyetain

Theories Opinions Hypothesizes Question Facts@cyetain

Theories Opinions Hypothesizes Request More Information@cyetain

•Based on your experiences, what would you do to solve this problem? This is your Hypothesis. •Identify What Needs to Be True if your Hypothesis is true. •Assert, Presume, Assume Truth •Imagine Experiments that would justify the Assumptions How Would I Validate myHow Would I understanding of this solve this problem? Problem?@cyetain

I Assert that this I know this Interesting Ideas Potential Information Pretty Pretty Sure Sure theory theory is right is wrong 0% 50% 100% Probability of Failure I Presume Somebody knows this Interesting Ideas Potential Information Pretty Pretty Sure Sure theory theory I am going to Assume is right is wrong 0% 50% 100% this is true for my Probability of Failure Hypothesis to be true Interesting Ideas Potential Information Pretty Pretty Sure Sure theory theory is right is wrong 0% 50% 100% Probability of Failure@cyetain

Rotate Pairs 2-3 Times Allow Time for Revision Between Rounds This is my Hypothesis, Challenge Assumptions and Assumptions & Experiments Experiments@cyetain

This is my Hypothesis, Assumptions and Experiments@cyetain

Multiple Smaller Experiments against Multiple Abductive Hypotheses instead of Single Large Experiment against Single Hypotheses@cyetain

Using Kanban To Enable Ambiguity & Innovation@cyetain

Rules Are Waste@cyetain

Know Where You Are Dispositionality@cyetain

Visual Ambiguity@cyetain

Optionality@cyetain

Focus on Customer@cyetain

Influences & Sources of More Information@cyetain

if we are honestabout how ourknowing revealsour unknowing…we encourageothers to knowin diverse ways -jabe bloom

Joshua (Jabe) Bloom CTO : The Library Corporation & TLC Labs blog http://jabe.co Send Anonymous Feedback http://sayat.me/jabebloom@cyetain

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In Defense of Ambiguity

by Will Evans on Nov 08, 2012

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