UTS Senior Lecturer in Data Science, Kailash Awati has jointly released his second “Heretics Guide” management book called The Heretics Guide to Management: The Art of Harnessing Ambiguity. Which looks at how ambiguity affects human behaviour and how managers can harness it in positive ways.
Management techniques such as strategic planning, project management or operational budgeting, attempt to reduce ambiguity and provide clarity, however they often end up missing the point.
So why do managers persist in using these models?
Many people associate ambiguity with feelings of anxiety. When kids feel anxious, they turn to transitional objects such as teddy bears or security blankets, which provide them with a sense of stability. This book explains how management models, fads and frameworks are actually akin to teddy bears. They provide the same sense of comfort and certainty to corporate managers and minions as real teddies do to distressed kids.
“Ambiguity is typically viewed negatively – something to be avoided or to be controlled. The truth however, is that it is a force that can be used in positive ways. Throughout this book we discuss how ambiguity, so common in the corporate world, can be harnessed to achieve positive results” Says co-author, Kailash Awati.
The Heretic’s Guide to Management is part of an ongoing series on managing complex, multi-faceted problems in organisations using collaborative techniques that harness the collective intelligence of groups, a theme that runs through much of the research and teaching at CIC.
Read the Financial Review article on The Heretic’s Guide to Management.
The book is available in paperback and in a range of e-book formats from Amazon and other booksellers:
Kindle version from Amazon Australia