OB Research Seminar - Gudela Grote, ETHZ

Uncertainty is a fundamental human experience and largely considered to be an aversive state people try to avoid. In the talk, a model of uncertainty regulation will be introduced which includes both reduction and creation of uncertainty as potentially desirable options. The concept of uncertainty mindset, that is the degree to which individiuals perceive uncertainty as malleable or fixed and as a threat or an opportunity, will be introduced and first results from an intervention study with job seekers aimed at promoting an incertainty-as-enabling mindset will be presented. In an outlook, different work contexts within which uncertainty regulation is particularly relevant, will be highlighted and pertinent research discussed, such as coordination in high risk teams and development and use of emerging technologies.