Working in Uncertainty

Negative Capability was conceived by the English poet, John Keats. We note that applications of the idea in leadership studies have tended to interpret it as a ‘positive capability’: as ways of thinking, feeling, or doing. This is an approach that we challenge in more detail in chapter three, arguing that Keats’ understanding of Negative Capability was more existential: to be capable of being in uncertainty without needing to grasp for knowledge and certainty. We discuss how he saw the influence of Negative Capability in both the ordinary interactions between people, particularly in its contribution to a higher quality of thinking, as well as in relation to the extraordinary—the ability to gain insight into the transcendent qualities of Beauty, Truth and Goodness. These ideas are then discussed in relation to modern leadership practice, and how Negative Capability relates to the practice of attention, a sense of purpose, the work of leisure, and passion in leadership practice. This provides an outline of the conceptual framework that structures the book.