Uncertainty Mode Protocol: Match Governance to the Type of Unknown

Core insight: not all uncertainty is the same. Treating every unknown with the same governance—long committees, heavy analytics, or blunt reversion—wastes time and often increases risk. The Uncertainty Mode Protocol gives executives a fast way to classify the dominant uncertainty behind any decision into one of three practical modes (Epistemic: knowable with short tests; Aleatory: inherent randomness; Strategic: adversary or coordination risk). For each mode you get one clear governance pattern (micro‑experiment, probabilistic throttles, or posture + red team), a minimal evidence band, a rollback leash, and the one monitoring probe that proves progress. In ten minutes you get the taxonomy, three paste‑ready governance tokens, two constrained AI prompts to surface the likely mode from notes, and a 7‑day pilot: classify five near decisions, apply the matched protocol, and record outcome quality vs. prior practice. Action: pick one imminent decision, classify its mode, and subscribe.