Productive ambiguity

Abstract

David Stark’s new book, The Sense of Dissonance (2009), takes as its task tackling of the seemingly perplexing question of how certain organizations can benefit from confusing, ambiguous situations; how they can capitalize on ambiguity through transforming dissonance into a special kind of asset (asset ambiguity). Organizations based on a multiplicity of values (diversity) produce dissonance; that is, a permanent ambiguity in the fields of (e)valuation, judgments and performance criteria. Despite all difficulties and misunderstandings, economically speaking, ambiguity seems to be highly productive: the organization of dissonance plays a crucial role in developing profitable working methods and ensuring survival on the market.