Certainty

We’re continuing to explore the five major drivers of human behavior.  The brain is a pattern recognition machine that is constantly trying to predict the future.  We crave certainty so that prediction is possible.  Without prediction you’re using dramatically more resources to process moment-to-moment experience.

Small amounts of uncertainty generate an ‘error’ response in the brain taking attention away from your goals and forcing attention to the error.  If someone is acting out of character or not telling you the whole truth this can create uncertainty and cause an error response.  Until this is resolved, it’s difficult to focus on other things.  Larger uncertainties, if your job is not secure or you don’t know what is expected of you at work, can be debilitating.

People who have certainty as a big driver like things planned well in advance and generally don’t like last minute changes.  They have a natural affinity with systems and processes.  They may be a list person and are an organizer in social and work situations.  To feel more reward and less threat with certainty as your key driver involves asking questions to make sure you are clear on expectations.  Don’t wait for others to come to you.

When your organization is facing significant change, uncertainty is generated.  Uncertainty can be decreased in many simple ways.  When you build and share business plans and strategies or map out an organization’s structure, your employees will feel increasing levels of clarity about the future.  Even though it is unlikely things will go precisely as planned, people feel better because certainty has increased.

Communicate changes in your organization.  When going through a multi-step change, set dates when your employees will receive additional information regarding the change.  Increasing their sense of certainty will ensure employees will be able to focus on the tasks in hand and not what might happen in the future.  More information is better, over communication creates an atmosphere of certainty.

When you’re facing a complex project, break the project into small steps and certainty increases.  Another tool organizations can employ are procedures that cover common work processes and situations.  Train your employees regarding these procedures and establish clear expectations of what might happen in any situation.  Communicate the desirable outcomes that are expected.

Increasing certainty can be as simple as stating how long a meeting will run and stating the clear objectives of the meeting.  In learning situations a classic formula applies, tell people what you are going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them, all of which increases certainty.

What have you found that works when facing uncertainty?  What have you used in times of change?  Leave your comments below.

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