STC UUX Community Newsletter
Usability Interface

Editorial - Dealing With Ambivalence

By David Dick

Do you laugh at the antics of Dilbert's boss who cannot make decisions? His indecisiveness is the leading cause why projects and meetings go no where, which hinders the staff from making progress. We find great humor in his antics, but in real life, such a person can drive us insane, but there is hope and help.

Sometimes every aspect of a project goes well until an important (critical) decision must be made and the decision maker(s) cannot decide what to do. For example, a decision to cancel a project that is over budget, a decision to reduce staff: who to keep and who to let go; and a decision to authorize last minute changes to a project that is ready for release and delivery. Some of us can easily see the answer (the solution), but not when the decision maker(s) are ambivalent; decision-making is overwhelming and agonizing task

The inability to make a concrete decision is called ambivalence. Wikipedia defines ambivalence as having thoughts or actions in contradiction with each other, when they are related to the same object, idea or person. The term is commonly refers to situations where 'mixed feelings' of a more general sort are experienced and where a person experiences uncertainty or indecisiveness concerning something.

Ambivalence is often viewed as cautiousness in the eyes of the ambivalent. While it is important to approach decisions in an informed manner, it can be detrimental to a project if decision-making is prolonged. Subsequent steps likely rely on the pending decision and, therefore, will be put on hold until a decision is reached. This could delay the entire project completion and miss an important milestone later. For example, your software application may not be available for beta testing in time for the annual user group meeting.

How do you overcome ambivalence?

First of all, recognize that the individual does not intend to be indecisive or want to be indecisive, he may just want to make to right decision, but also want to satisfy the expectations of others. Unfortunately, there are situations when it's not feasible to make everybody happy.

Second, recognize that the individual cannot overcome ambivalence alone, so you will have to take the initiative to help him. Determine the reason for his ambivalence. Is there something vital that seems to be missing? Educate the individual on the various options. Find subject matter experts who understand one or more sides of his question. Perhaps there are people from other organizations who have answered similar questions and may be willing to discuss their deciding factors.

As a result, not only will you get the decision maker to make a decision and continue with business as usual, you will also help a person to overcome ambivalence.