A recent study showed that, in Romania, over 62% of companies report that market changes outpace their internal capacity to adapt, while 48% of managers state that the level of operational uncertainty has risen significantly over the past two years.
At the same time, only 27% of employees say they feel comfortable making decisions without clear instructions, revealing a structural tension: organizations need agility, yet people crave clarity.
This tension is not unique to the local business environment; it is a global trend. However, in Romania, organizational culture is more heavily influenced by hierarchical models. This fosters the expectation that "the boss should tell us what to do," which is precisely why ambiguity hits harder.
Consequently, managers face teams demanding direction at a time when direction can no longer be set with precision. In this context, the question is no longer how to reduce ambiguity, but how to build teams that function effectively despite it.
Why do people demand clarity when it is impossible to provide?
People seek clarity because, psychologically, it signifies safety, predictability, control, and reduced anxiety. It means knowing what needs to be done, knowing you will not make a mistake, and knowing you won't be penalized.
In Romanian business culture, this need is amplified by rigid hierarchies, directive leadership styles, and systems where initiative is penalized rather than rewarded.
Yet, the clarity people seek is no longer attainable, not because managers are unwilling to provide it, but because the business environment no longer allows for it.
Planning cycles are shorter. Markets shift more rapidly. Technology is transforming entire industries. Customer behaviors shift from quarter to quarter. Companies reorganize more frequently than they update their procedures.
Managers can no longer say: this is how we will operate for the next two years. They can only say: this is how we will try to successfully navigate the next six months. That is why teams must learn to function within this new normal.
How do you build teams that thrive amidst ambiguity?
1. Build a framework, not a plan
In ambiguous situations, people do not need instructions; they need a mental framework, a map rather than a specific route. Managers can create this framework by defining clear principles for action: how decisions are made, how priorities are set, how communication flows, and how direction is adjusted. A well-constructed framework reduces anxiety without sacrificing flexibility. It serves as the foundation for agility and autonomy.
2. Normalize change as a process
Teams function better amidst ambiguity when change is perceived not as a crisis, but as a routine part of operations. Managers can achieve this through constant communication, by explaining the rationale behind decisions, and by demonstrating that adjustments are part of evolution rather than signs of instability. When change becomes the norm, ambiguity becomes manageable.
3. Establish distributed decision-making
Ambiguity paralyzes teams that rely on approvals, yet it empowers teams that possess autonomy. Managers can foster autonomy by clarifying decision-making boundaries: what the team decides, what the manager decides, and what the organization decides. A team that knows what it can decide without seeking approval becomes faster, more accountable, and more resilient. This forms the basis for genuine accountability.
4. Train the team’s tolerance for uncertainty
Tolerance for uncertainty is not a talent, but a skill. It can be cultivated through gradual exposure to unclear situations, multiple-scenario exercises, discussions about risks and assumptions, and the encouragement of small-scale experiments. Managers can transform ambiguity into a space for learning rather than a source of fear. A team that practices dealing with uncertainty becomes a team that masters it.
5. Significantly increase decision transparency
Ambiguity is difficult to manage when people do not know what is happening. However, it becomes much easier when they have access to information. Managers can increase transparency by sharing decisions, rationales, risks, limitations, and dilemmas. A team that sees the full picture no longer demands impossible clarity; it simply asks for direction, and direction can be provided.
6. Make trust a core team value
Ambiguity cannot be managed without trust. People need to trust that their manager will not penalize them for imperfect decisions, that the team will support them, and that the organization values adaptability over conformity. Trust is built through consistency, honest feedback, recognizing effort, and protecting the team during difficult times. Without trust, ambiguity turns into chaos; with trust, it becomes an opportunity.
7. Shift from control to orchestration
The manager no longer needs to be the one who knows everything; instead, they create the context in which the team performs. They orchestrate rather than control. They ask questions instead of providing answers, and they create meaning rather than certainty. Managers who shift their role in this way become catalysts for resilience, enabling their teams to handle ambiguity with maturity and efficiency.
In conclusion
Building teams that thrive amidst ambiguity is not easy, but it is the new normal.
For millennia, human civilization has not known clarity; instead, it has been defined by uncertainty, adaptation, improvisation, and resilience. People are better equipped for ambiguity than they realize. They possess the capacity to collaborate, communicate, co-create meaning, and adapt.
Managers can no longer provide certainty, but they must provide context. They do not need to offer answers; they need to offer direction. They do not need to reduce ambiguity; they need to foster team maturity in the face of it.
In this way, teams can become agile, resilient, and high-performing precisely because ambiguity compels them to be better, more transparent, and more collaborative.
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About Valoria
Valoria is a consulting, training, and executive coaching company. Through our services, we help entrepreneurs to grow their business and make success concrete and predictable. Companies turn to us for marketing, human resources and sales consulting. We often respond to requests for training or coaching of management teams. Competence, trust, innovation and passion are the values we uphold in everything we do. We build long-term partnerships and collaborations, because we offer guaranteed results and the best quality, at the right price. Find out more at: www.valoria.ro.
