ABSTRACT

Uncertainty affects us in our everyday lives, and in a wide range of situations but how do individuals and indeed organisations respond to uncertainty and how does it impact their decision-making and actions? Based on the latest developments in academic research, the author offers solid advice on how to manage uncertainty in every-day life, bringing a new perspective to these issues and extrapolating this to offer implications for an organisational and managerial context. The author brings this emerging area of research to a wider audience by: 

  • Tying together insights from various fields including psychology, engineering, business and management.
  • Creating a framework for usefully applying the research concepts in every-day life.
  • Extrapolating insights from the psychology of individual decision makers to the organisational context and managerial decision-making.
  • Creating highly applicable and impactful recommendations for how managers, organisations, and every day people can understand and manage uncertainty in their life. 

The book is divided into two main parts. Part I deals with the behaviour of individuals facing uncertainty and includes accessible explanations and examples of every-day applications, while Part II deals with behaviour in organisations facing uncertainty, where insights from Part I are combined and related to the organisational and work context to explore how, for example, (mis)-perceptions and decision-making biases impact managerial life. This is a must read for both managers and those who are seeking to better understand their own behaviour and management approach.

chapter 1|12 pages

Introduction

part I|62 pages

People and Uncertainty

chapter 2|14 pages

Perceiving Uncertainty

chapter 3|10 pages

Expressing Uncertainty

chapter 4|12 pages

Accepting Uncertainty

chapter 5|16 pages

Deciding under Uncertainty

chapter 6|8 pages

Acting on Uncertainty

part II|57 pages

Organisations and Uncertainty

chapter 7|12 pages

Organisations and Uncertainty Types

chapter 8|12 pages

Uncertainty and Time

chapter 10|14 pages

Taking Action in Organisations

chapter 11|5 pages

Conclusions