Identifying the individual factors affecting the competency of leaders to tolerate ambiguity with using the approach of Theme analysis; A step towards developing leaders

Ambiguity Tolerance is mentioned as one of the strategic leaders’ competencies that plays a significant role in the effectiveness of their decisions in ambiguous situations.The aim of this study was to identify the individual factors affecting the leaders' ambiguity tolerance, design a comprehensive model of these factors and provide solutions to develop this competency on identified factors. In order to obtain more evidence to understand the phenomenon, a qualitative approach was taken and data were collected through interviews with nineteen experts. The statistical population of study includes academic experts and executive experts of the Ministry of Petroleum who have experience in management and decision making in ambiguous situations. Sampling of research has been done purposefully. Attride stirling method was used for coding and Themes network analysis method for data analysis. After analyzing the data, the individual factors affecting the leaders' ambiguity tolerance were categorized into six comprehensive themes : demographic characteristics, personality traits, competencies, motivations and needs, perceptions and emotions. Findings showed that demographic characteristics including general and occupational characteristics, personality traits including extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness to experience, emotional stability, being intuitive, locus of control, risk-taking and patience, competencies including knowledge, skills, abilities and experience, motivations and needs including respect and self-fulfillment, perceptions including perceptions of ambiguity, job, organization and life and emotions including emotions in the face of ambiguity and general emotions as individual factors interacting with each other are effective at the level of leaders' ambiguity tolerance and can use them to develop this leadership competency.