Finding Unexamined Assumptions Through Systems Thinking and Ambiguity
How to gaining additional perspectives by focusing on boundary judgements, interrelationships, and feedback loops
“There are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don’t know we don’t know.” (Donald Rumsfeld)
In my recent post on the strategic uses of ambiguity I explored how, when used thoughtfully, it can be a powerful tool in complex environments.
Then, in my Introduction to Systems Thinking series I explained that by reflecting on boundary judgements, understanding interrelationships, and engaging with multiple perspectives we can gain deeper insights into the systems we navigate.
In this follow-up, written in collaboration with Laura Hilliger, I aim to demonstrate how ambiguity can be used alongside systems thinking in a ‘playful’ way to shine light on our assumptions.
Ambiguity and System Boundaries
While ambiguity and systems thinking might seem like opposing concepts, when combined deliberately, productive ambiguity becomes a potent tool for exploring complex systems.
Productive Ambiguity — this represents ambiguity that is beneficial or intentional in generating positive outcomes because it helps people shift their view. For example, as part of a strategy where leaving things unsaid or open to interpretation can lead to more flexible and adaptable solutions. (On the Strategic Uses of Ambiguity)
Drawing boundaries around systems is essential for analysis. However, these boundaries often rest on assumptions that may go unexamined. Introducing productive ambiguity allows us to ‘play’ with the boundaries, questioning what we include or exclude and why. Productive ambiguity opens up space for new interpretations and challenges our assumptions in ways that are useful.
🛝🌳⛲ Example: Park Revitalisation Project
Let’s say you’re working on a project to revitalise a local park. The initial assumption might be that only park users and local authorities are the relevant stakeholders. This is the boundary. However, by embracing productive ambiguity, you might ask: “Could nearby schools, local businesses, or community groups influence or benefit from this project in ways we haven’t considered?”
This open-ended question uncovers a wider boundary than had been included in the initial planning — such as schools using the park for outdoor learning or local businesses benefiting from increased foot traffic. The approach reveals hidden dynamics and helps develop a project that serves a broader and more diverse community.
Reflecting on boundary judgements isn’t just about defining the limits of a system. Rather, it’s about acknowledging that these limits can obscure important elements. By introducing productive ambiguity into our boundary judgements, we can challenge rigid definitions and explore what might be hidden just beyond them.
Productive ambiguity encourages us to ask, “What if our assumptions about this boundary are incomplete?” This approach allows us to ‘play’ with the system’s edges, revealing blind spots that a strict boundary might conceal.
Understanding Interrelationships
In systems thinking, understanding the interrelationships within a system is essential because these connections are complex and often hard to identify.
Productive ambiguity can help us explore these interrelationships by allowing us to entertain multiple interpretations of how components might interact. This, in turn, leads to insights that wouldn’t have emerged through a linear approach.
🛝🌳⛲ Example: Park Revitalisation Project
Returning to our park project, imagine that a local school starts using the park for outdoor activities. Asking open-ended questions helps bring in some productive ambiguity. What kinds of facilities or services might schoolchildren like to have? Let’s say they suggest an ice cream stand. By entertaining this idea, we begin to explore the wider interrelationships: What infrastructure would support this? We might need to consider water supply, electrical outlets, waste management, and accessibility for vendors and customers. As we dig deeper, we start to see how various systems — utilities, transport, local regulations — interconnect with the park in ways that weren’t immediately obvious.
By ‘playing’ with productive ambiguity, we can imagine alternative scenarios and question established cause-and-effect relationships. This exploration can uncover hidden feedback loops and leverage points — small changes that can have significant impacts.
For instance, something as simple as adding an ice cream stand might lead to greater foot traffic, which in turn could spark local businesses’ interest in park events or influence how the park is maintained. Productive ambiguity therefore helps us see beyond the obvious and consider connections that might influence the system in unexpected ways.
Engaging with Multiple Perspectives
Bringing in diverse viewpoints is a crucial aspect of systems thinking, and productive ambiguity serves as a powerful tool for uncovering these perspectives. It opens the door to diverse interpretations, encouraging new perspectives and exposing areas where thinking may have become too narrow.
🛝🌳⛲ Example: Park Revitalisation Project
For instance, in the project to revitalise a local park, productive ambiguity could be introduced by presenting different possible uses for the space — such as turning it into a sports facility, a community garden, or a children’s play area — without making a definitive decision upfront. This uncertainty encourages people to imagine how these options might affect their lives or the community, drawing out diverse perspectives. As a result, the project might reveal multiple perspectives which have been overlooked, such as local businesses seeing the park as a venue for markets or under-represented groups desiring a space for cultural events. This approach helps encourage a richer, more inclusive and diverse vision for the park’s future.
By introducing some ambiguity into these discussions, we encourage others to challenge their assumptions and share insights that might not otherwise come forward. This collective ‘play’ with ideas can uncover areas of the system that need further attention. It also helps us avoid the trap of thinking that any one perspective is the only valid one.
Using Feedback Loops
An essential part of systems thinking involves feedback loops: positive loops tend to reinforce certain behaviours, while negative loops work to maintain balance by counteracting them. Considering these loops alongside productive ambiguity can reveal how uncertainty either helps uncover hidden aspects of the system or, conversely, makes them more difficult to detect.
🛝🌳⛲ Example: Park Revitalisation Project
Again, using the park project as an example, the more ideas community members share about the park’s potential, the more excitement builds. This creates a positive feedback loop where new ideas inspire further participation. However, if the discussions remain too vague, some community members may grow frustrated with the lack of direction, creating a negative feedback loop that stalls the project. Here, productive ambiguity ensures that ambiguity leads to curiosity and exploration rather than confusion or paralysis, guiding the feedback loop toward uncovering blind spots rather than reinforcing them.
By understanding how feedback loops interact with productive ambiguity, we can steer systems toward more insightful outcomes. The key is to maintain just enough uncertainty to encourage exploration without allowing it to drift into confusion. This helps ensure that feedback loops support the uncovering of hidden system dynamics rather than obscuring them.
Conclusion
By integrating productive ambiguity into systems thinking practices, we enhance our ability to identify and address assumptions being made. Productive ambiguity allows us to ‘play’ with systems — testing boundaries, exploring interrelationships, and engaging with diverse perspectives. This helps reveal hidden elements, uncover predominant perspectives, and gain deeper insights.
Embracing productive ambiguity doesn’t mean creating unnecessary confusion. Instead, it acknowledges the complexity of systems and the value of multiple interpretations. The approach challenges fixed assumptions, encouraging us to develop more flexible, inclusive, and insightful strategies for navigating complex systems. Through productive ambiguity, we move beyond rigid boundaries and engage with the richness that systems — and the people within them — offer.
Do you need help with this kind of thing? Get in touch with WAO!
