ABSTRACT

The challenge of management education according to G. E. Dehler, M. A. Welsh and M. W. Lewis is “to prepare future managers for complexity, uncertainty, equivocality and value conflicts”. In G. Leicester’s article about dealing with uncertainty and complexity, he describes the distinctions between the different spheres for managers. In the public sector, the challenges were in coordination between agencies, managing scarce resources and keeping up with the endless new ideas from politicians. And in the arts, it was the “sheer challenge of making ends meet – managing the basics while trying to support creative innovation”. Every strategic decision is one that starts with uncertainty and is worked through with contributions and iterations until finally a decision is reached that feels right. Interestingly, this approach is the opposite of what Corrigan proposes – that organisations uncertain about their environment need stronger guidance and leadership than those that operate in an atmosphere of certainty.