“Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle states that there is inherent uncertainty in the act of measuring a variable of a particle. Commonly applied to the position and momentum of a particle, the principle states that the more precisely the position is known the more uncertain the momentum is and vice versa.”(citation)
The inherent nature of uncertainty was ‘discovered’ by quantum physicists a century ago but has been well known by Eastern philosophies for millennia. From the practices of Tantra and Taoism, I have developed a set of ‘Uncertainty Principles’ for Western management.
Give space for the body and gut feelings; they are our best guide in uncertain times
In Japan, to say that a person ‘thinks with their head’ is generally considered an insult for it is the ability to ‘think’ with the gut that is considered healthy and wise. In the West the dominance of the intellect means that our ‘gut feelings’ are given little weight over what our head tells us. While Western management is starting to acknowledge the importance of ’emotional intelligence’, the focus has been on managing people and conflict, rather than understanding that the body and the gut holds truth for all decisions. Tuning into and acknowledging gut feelings should be a regular part of all meetings, particularly where decision making or conflict is involved.
Mindfully observe discomfort before you act
Within uncertainty lies potential. But the nature of uncertainty is that it generates uncomfortable feelings. If we try to return to a state of comfort too quickly, we deny not only the uncertainty but also its potential. Common Western management practice is to see uncomfortable feelings as a problem that needs to be solved, preferably as quickly as possible. But by doing this, we may react from parts of us that are less than helpful: our hurt child, our victim or our bully etc, which only makes the problem worse. Also, our discomfort holds valuable, often subconscious, information that can help us see a problem from new perspectives, including our own part in it.
Find resolution rather than create new solutions
In my time as a manager, it seemed I was expected to be a solution generating machine. Problems would fly at me thick and fast and I was expected to solve them with as much speed and efficiency as possible. But in a world where problems seem to be growing exponentially, we will no longer be capable of solving them all. Instead we must find a deeper resolution.
Resolution has two meanings: to find resolution is to come to a solution that puts a problem to rest but to find resolution (or to have resolve) is also to have calm strength in the face of adversity.
In Taoism there is a concept called ‘non-doing.’ This is not ‘doing nothing’ but is a state of contemplation and observation where we allow the natural course of events to find resolution without our intervention. This has two important advantages. Firstly, as a individual we always have limited information about a problem. By allowing the natural course of events to unfold, we also allow elements outside our conscious control to help bring resolution. Secondly, we have limited time and energy and this state of mind frees us up to focus on only that which really matters, nothing more nor less.
Rekindle a sacred trust in humanity, of which you and all of us are a part
When the Black Summer fires happened in 2020, the media reported many stories of people acting bravely and compassionately towards each other. When there is a disaster that immediately threatens people, such as a fire or flood, it often brings out the best. Yet when the disaster is over, we often resort to old patterns of conflict and division.
Why is this ? Because when we are faced with an existential threat, we realise we are all the same regardless of our differences. We realise we have to trust each other to survive, and we do this because we know deep down we are all important. I call this sacred trust.
To wait for a disaster to strike to find this solidarity is very unwise. We shouldn’t have to wait until death is knocking at our door. Indigenous cultures generally use rituals to help them bring the tribe to a state of oneness, to routinely remind each other of the sacred trust we must hold in each other. These rituals aim to bypass the conscious mind to a generate a subconscious state of unity in the participants.
Western management is often extremely resistant to these sorts of practices , which undermine its dogged need to demonstrate accountability in rationality at all times. For a secular society, ritual feels too much like religion, cults and brainwashing. Yet in my view, we must generate new rituals that can help our community, be that social or at work, to return to a sense of sacred trust in each other.
Foster interactions that generate emotional pleasure, building a sense of home
Workplaces are not homes, yet during workdays people often spend more time at the workplace than their home, if you exclude the time they commute and sleep. Wanting to feel at home is a basic instinct. A workplace cannot provide the same level of security and individuality as one’s actual home but we can build a sense of home. The basis of this is fostering emotional pleasure. Any act that creates a feeling of emotional pleasure helps to build human connection: be that laughter, the relief of being genuinely listened to , the delight of being given someone’s home-made biscuits, the joy of talking about something you’re passionate about.
Overtime, acts of emotional pleasure build a different type of security, not one based upon contracts, monetary remuneration and performance, but on human connection.
Free your systems from unnecessary weight, allowing you to navigate quickly and decisively
From my experience as an Executive manager, I saw a common pattern to deal with problems. The solution: to develop a new system to deal with the issue so that it wouldn’t happen again. A new policy, a new subcommittee, a new plan. But we are now sinking under the weight of our own systems, from within organisations, from those imposed by government and regulators, and from systems imposed by technology. The average policy manual often reaches hundreds of pages, impossible to remember. Laws and regulation pile on ever higher.
In uncertain times we need to move quickly. Systems are important but they need to be light and agile, relying as much on the gut instinct of the crew as the step by step instruction written in a procedure. It is not your policy manual that will save your organisation in a crisis, its their ability to think from their gut, work together and be responsive to unfolding events. The system must keep its integrity and be fit for purpose, but anything more that that risks slowing down the responsiveness and ingenuity of the people who use it.
Learn about structure, harmony and uncertainty from nature
Our modern day workplaces are usually divorced from nature to the extent that it plays virtually no part in decision making, except for recent moves to improve sustainability through recycling and energy conservation etc. Nature is the greatest teacher of uncertainty that we have, as if we go into nature and observe it, we will discover all sorts of information that may be useful for us. Nature is abundant with harmony as much as uncertainty, and we can translate those harmonious natural systems into our human centred work places.
Come back to yourself to find balance and recharge
This last principle may seem trite, but it is worth including. In uncertain times, we all have a responsibility to look after our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. I do not intend to say that the responsibility for well-being sits entirely with the individual: the principles of fostering emotional pleasure and rekindling sacred trust, in particular, have to developed by the group to be effective. But in the end, although we may receive help from others, we cannot rely on them to provide it in times of uncertainty. They may themselves be in need and not be in a position to give.
“Coming back to yourself” is different for everyone. But it is important to develop a practice that can be done quickly and routinely. We can be thrown out of balance very quickly in moments of uncertainty. This is not something to be done occasionally or only as a scheduled weekly or monthly ‘self care’, this is something that can be done spontaneously when the need arises.
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