Most of us have been brought up to seek precision; to look for clarity; the one right answer.
So it seems natural to be uncomfortable with ambiguity.
And yet…
Sometimes ambiguity is our friend. It helps keep people together and, oddly enough, things on track. It allows connection to develop and be sustained.
Define things too precisely and some of those involved will no longer be on board. Keep things a little bit loose and they can leave their hats in the ring, especially if they are predisposed to for other reasons.
Eventually, perhaps, the differences will have to be reconciled. Or perhaps they won’t. Maybe they’ll be unimportant by then, so much having been achieved by the joint effort.
Some questions have more than one answer anyway. “Both-and” applies more often than we realise.
So the skilful management of “creative ambiguity” is an art worth practising.
And of course, in the words of the Tao Te Ching, “Mystery is the doorway to understanding.”
Perhaps ambiguity is a doorway too.
Holding the mystery may create the conditions for learning. Going for clarity too soon may shut them down.
What’s the right amount of ambiguity to tolerate for the particular outcome you want?