“I Collected Money Not A Bribe:” Strategic Ambiguity and the Search for Meaning in Communication (2)

Vol 1, No 11, November 14, 2023

In the inspiration domain, possibilities experience no bounds, inducing dreamers to discover unfamiliar regions. However, “a dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work,” according to Colin Powell. What happened in America on January 20, 2009, defied logic and even dreams.

When Barak Obama first muted the idea of running for the highest office in the United States of America – the presidency – not even his avid followers gave him a whiff of a chance. But he remained undaunted because he had enough fire in the belly to tread where angels feared to. The rest is history. Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States of America and served two terms from 2009 to 2017. He was the first African-American President.

But we aren’t discussing politics today.

We shall be deliberating on the deployment of Strategic Ambiguity during his tenure. Suzanne Goldenberg, US Environmental Correspondent of the Guardian, outlines how Barack Obama used Strategic Silence on Climate Change in the Guardian of November 1, 2012. She says,

“The event was indeed a turning point, but not the one campaigners expected. Instead, it marked a strategic decision by the White House to downplay climate change – avoiding the very word – a decision some campaigners on the guest list say produced the strange absence of climate change from the 2012 campaign.”

?

Communication Can Be Opaque and Yet Effective.

This subhead sounds contradictory. It isn't a mistake. Communication is such a complex subject that no single approach constitutes the silver bullet in multiple scenarios. Most times, there are so many moving parts in the communication event, and every one of them demands a different approach.

Little wonder, a nonagenarian who was married to one woman for 61 years told the newlyweds after the wedding as speeches were made.

"Don't listen to these people offering advice. There are no formulae that work for marriage. Marriage is like water polo. To succeed, you must get into the water, adapt and play as the environment dictates. If you wake up tomorrow morning and your wife needs to be stroked hard before breakfast (you know where), please go ahead, as long as it makes her happy, and you stay together happily ever after."

Today, we focus on the enormous benefits of Strategic Ambiguity to political or corporate leaders.

There is a lot that managers and leaders can gain from mastering the subtle art of Strategic Ambiguity in public speaking, interpersonal communication, negotiation, and crisis communication and management. Even though communication is traditionally assumed to mean effective and open communication, leadership communication in complex situations sometimes depends on opaque or Strategic Ambiguity to achieve the desired meaning.

?

Explicit Communication is a Cultural Idea.

Pascale and Athos (1981, p. 102) capture this sentiment clearly:

"Explicit communication is a cultural assumption; it is not a linguistic imperative. Skilled executives can vary their language along the spectrum from explicitness to indirection depending upon their reading of the other person and the situation.”

Two quick examples may throw more light on this discourse as follows. First, suppose your 6-year-old daughter suddenly develops interest and wants to discuss sexual reproduction in adults. In that case, being a responsible mother, you won’t be open to direct and honest communication because of her age. After the initial shock, you'll pause and tactfully deploy a visual metaphor that conveys a short message but one appropriate to her age and sensibilities.

"Sweetheart, remember Daddy said yesterday that only adults drink alcohol. Do you know why?"

After waiting for her reply to ensure you're being interactive and getting the child’s buy-in, you may conclude as follows. "Only adults make babies – daddies and mummies – they’re the ones God allows to make babies."

The second example could be a probing question from an overzealous Business Analyst in a large 600+ Stakeholder Management Forum, which may expose the company’s trade secret. As the CEO and taskmaster, you are expected to provide an answer. But PR strategists don’t expect you to put forward a sincere one because the implications will be grave for the corporation. With the assistance of an experienced Public Relations Advisor, you ingeniously say something that skirts (or avoids) the question but is intelligible enough to satisfy the analyst and others.

It is important to note that if the corporation is well-run, this situation would have been dealt with previously. The Communications Department, working closely with senior management, should organize scenario mapping retreats routinely annually. In such retreats, attendees brainstorm and provide pertinent solutions to several anticipated tough questions in media discussions and other forums. And provide well-documented answers proactively for the "rainy day." These answers are then given to senior management to internalize and sometimes memorize.

?

Strategic Ambiguity Encourages Organizational Change

There are multiple situations in corporations, academia, and politics where a single question may have several divergent answers. When you refer to "academic freedom" and "creative license" in the university, having one definition for constructs like these is challenging. Hence, Ambiguity in the definitions provided is inherently desirable. Where and when you do otherwise, you are limiting the meaning of the terms you ordinarily would like to have implications as broad as the number of contending participants to achieve the best results.

Writing in the Harvard Business Review of November 16, 2020, Cheryl Strauss Einhorn, in "When Managing Through Ambiguity, Develop a Clear Vision," says,

“Strategic Ambiguity fosters the existence of multiple viewpoints in organizations. This use of Ambiguity is commonly found in organizational missions, goals, and plans. When stated concretely, organizational goals are often strikingly ineffective (Edelman, 1977). Strategic Ambiguity is essential to organizing because it allows for multiple interpretations among people who contend they are attending to the same message—i.e., perceiving the message to be clear.

It is a political necessity to engage in strategic Ambiguity so that different constituent groups may apply different interpretations to the symbol. Ambiguity is used strategically to foster agreement on abstractions without limiting specific interpretations. For example, university faculty on any campus may take "academic freedom" as their rallying point while maintaining markedly different interpretations of the concept.”

In communication, constructs like “academic freedom,” “creative license,” “corporate vision,” and “mantras” are often left loose –– and this benefits the organization because their definitions aren’t restrictive in themselves.

?

Conclusion.

George Bernard Shaw says, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” This statement could not be more relevant at any time than it is today. Humankind is so distracted that it is losing the fundamentals of human communication skills.

You only need to watch Gen Zs and Millennials in oversized jeans as they’re glued to their personal communication techs popping out from the ear, nose, and on top of the head in the middle of chaotic traffic, without care to appreciate the severity of the situation. Or the millions of managers globally who lose their jobs annually because they failed to pay appropriate attention to the critical skill of effective communication.

Strategic Ambiguity may be a tiny subset of communication. Still, it guarantees that you write and speak persuasively, and apply informed deft touches to your communication when the need arises.

?

?

Are you considering writing a book but need assistance organizing your thoughts or help figuring out how to start?

You’re not alone.

The New York Times reported that 81% of Americans want to write a book. That means more than 250 million people in America want to write a book, yet less than 1% of those do.

My signature style, the “Creative Nonfiction” story-led approach, ensures that your nonfiction book reads like fiction – reads like a novel.

I have assisted several clients by working remotely in structuring, conceptualizing, and writing their books, including those thousands of kilometers away.

Kindly send me a short email at [email protected] for a private consultation.

PS. Please let me know your thoughts on this article and how it has impacted you.

?