Communication Research Reports, December 2005

Conceptualizing and Measuring How Employees and Organizations Manage Uncertainty

Abstract

Authors: Phillip G. Clampitt, M. Lee Williams

The study of uncertainty is central to an understanding of organizational communication. This research investigates the organizational work climates that emerge from the way employees manage uncertainty as well as the way they perceive their organization managing uncertainty. The Uncertainty Management Matrix is presented as a framework for conceptualizing this construct, followed by three scale development studies. The article concludes with a variety of research questions to direct future communication research.