Original Research Highlights

1. Employees who work for organizations that embrace uncertainty tend to be:
   
   
• more satisfied with their job,
• more committed to their organizations,
• more likely to identify with the organization, and
• less cynical about organizational life.


These tendencies occurred even when employees themselves did not fully embrace uncertainty.

2. Almost 65% of employees in the non-profit sector believe that they work in an organizational climate that suppresses uncertainty.
   
   
3. Almost 60% of employees in the information and technology sector believe they work in an organization that embraces uncertainty.
   
   
4. The number one ranked way organizations could do a better job of embracing uncertainty is to "improve their communication practices".
   
   
5. Over 50% of non-management employees believe that they work in an organizational climate that suppresses uncertainty, compared to 42% of employees in top management positions.
   
   
6. The age of employees does NOT appear to be related to their ability to embrace uncertainty.
   
   
7. Organizations that embrace uncertainty have three basic competencies: 1) they cultivate awareness of uncertainty, 2) they communicate about uncertainty, and 3) they catalyze action during uncertain times.
   
   

Note: These findings were based on a "snowball" sample of over 1,000 employees randomly selected from companies ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies.