MIT Sloan Management Review Article on The Need for ‘Techno-Supporting Skeptics'

Ambiguity is the possibility of having no good answer for a problem — or having multiple, equally defensible answers. In situations characterized by ambiguity, executives need a clear sense of their values to move forward.

Consider nuclear energy: Many thoughtful people think it should be in the portfolio of tools to counter global warming. Other, equally thoughtful people disagree because fissile materials like uranium and plutonium pose a high risk to life. Both groups are right, and both are wrong.

Digital technologies will relentlessly continue to increase the high levels of ambiguity that executives must navigate. Aside from being broadly informed, how should an objective leader decide what to do when faced with such issues?