November 14, 2024

Failing the pressure to ensure your people are delivering today’s core processes while at the same time needing to develop tomorrow’s best practices? Are you paying the price of customer focus as employee complaints pile up in your Inbox? Maybe you feel like all your time is spent fighting the fire of immediate problems while your long-term planning languishes at the bottom of your to-do list, never getting the full attention needed to stay competitive in the future. .

These are all examples of paradoxes – attractive situations where you believe you have to choose between two correct answers. But, you don’t have to choose. Once you see the world through a “both/and” lens and challenge your current assumptions about what’s possible, you’ll see that there is another, better, way to approach business.

Welcome to the world of paradox, where two seemingly contradictory solutions can both be achieved at the same time. Don’t settle for a forced either/or choice when you can get the most out of what each point of view has to offer and reduce the cost of over-focusing on either: create a “dual action plan” to meet each objective and work together on them.

The “Power of Paradox” can be used as a broad management tool, teaching us how we can achieve more complete than partial solutions to seemingly intractable business issues. A core difference for the most effective leaders is their ability to see multiple sides of situations and exploit seeming conflicts for business success. Similarly, managers who limit value by looking too closely at the edge of an often hostile competition may feel like they are winners when in fact everyone is a loser.

Paradoxes are everywhere; if you look, you can find them everywhere. Some examples of business paradoxes include:

  1. RENEWAL.
    scenario. Keith was promoted to lead an innovation-focused division comprised of several small new acquisitions. While there is some patience, the pressure on integration is mounting to realize the promised synergies and margin contributions. At the same time, individual business leaders expect more investments and the opportunity to pursue their own methods independent of corporate direction.
    analysis. Keith faces a familiar tension: immediate financial tension versus long-standing new orders. The result is an adversarial conflict. By recognizing that the short-term versus the long-term is the source of rival conflict, Keith uses observation to help him align acquisitions and corporate teams to create solutions that go beyond what is proposed. previously on both sides while eliminating counterproductive conflict. .
  2. Manager of a Rapidly Growing Division.
    scenario. James has been with the company for 20 years now and has worked his way up through the sales ranks. He now runs the division that is the growth engine of his midsized manufacturing company. The problem he faces, however, is that, as the engine of growth, he is pushed hard to not only sustain growth, but to accelerate it. However, the more he pushes his people, the more he loses them to the competition and the more difficult it is to hire new talent.
    analysis. James realized that he needed to engage his team in a different approach that would continue to grow and reduce strain. Using a paradox review to identify hidden barriers and performance drivers, he found a path forward that would add value and reduce effort. For James, simply identifying the source of the conflict enabled him to more efficiently reallocate his people to better match job requirements to individual skills.
  3. ESG, Sustainability.
    scenario. As Chief Sustainability Officer for a major division of a Fortune 500 company, Sarah faces the seemingly never-ending task of trading the bottom line for a more sustainable business approach. For his clients, he often feels that sustainability means trading carbon credits around rather than having a material impact on the environment.
    analysis. Sarah knows that there doesn’t have to be a trade-off, that it’s possible to be green AND increase profits. Identifying value chain efficiencies, strategic control and leveraging partnerships, he was able to increase the bottom line while together reducing the carbon footprint of his division. For Sarah, recognizing the existence of this paradox inspired her to do a deep dive into the industry’s value chain to find the “low-hanging fruit” areas where taking steps from the system is a “win-win” for everyone.

As you think about the tough choices in your business, first recognize if you’re facing a bad situation. Be clear about what paradoxical choices you face. Then, be honest about the sources of those conflicts. From here, discover ways to create action plans to accomplish both goals — at the same time. Don’t settle for an unsatisfying “either or” choice when you can achieve all the important results required.

For your business, what paradoxes are you facing and how can solving them help you?

Steps for Using the Power of Paradox

  1. Consciousness.
    As the old saying goes, “recognizing you have a problem is half the solution.” Same with paradoxes – recognizing that you have a paradoxical choice is an important step forward. Encourage your team to see conflicts as opportunities for leverage and growth.
  2. Discovery.
    Find the source of the conflict. Is it a simple linear problem or a more complex interconnected situation? Don’t settle for trade-offs too soon. Identify the scope, scale, and stakeholders who own, contribute to, and rely on the performance results associated with the paradox.
  3. Solution Generation.
    Paradoxes are embedded in situations. Multiple views provide a better description of the context. Engage teams that own the conflict in shared problem solving and mutual commitment to the solution. Use paradox problem solving methods and/or heuristics (eg, Polarity Mapping, Pre-Mortem, Empathy Maps, Competency Mapping and Strategic Control).
  4. Management and Monitoring.
    Always keep an eye on those paradoxes that provide a competitive advantage and then adjust the balances to fit your situation and intentions. Perhaps more importantly, active look for the obvious and hidden conflicts that hinder progress and success for the paradox review.

Harnessing the “Power of Paradox” requires rigor, discipline, and a persistent awareness to not unravel. Recognizing a paradoxical situation, using different methods to not only resolve the conflict, but to use its power, is essential to use it to your advantage.

Lessons for Managers

  • If you intuitively see paradoxes in your practice as a leader, don’t assume that this is typical of your team. It is rarely taught in business schools or development courses.
  • Reduce the fear of conflict. Encourage your team to see conflicts as opportunities to exploit for growth when you make the most of the situations.
  • Understand the SOURCE in conflict. Metrics rarely tell a complete story. Include contextual analysis tools related to the paradox to understand what is “right” for your situation.
  • Be accurate and efficient in the problem solving process. Multiply perspectives by engaging teams that own the conflict in shared problem solving and giving them responsibility for solution implementation and success.
  • Embed monitoring of strategic paradoxes (those that create competitive advantage) into your ongoing business review efforts.

Business paradoxes are all around us. Simply being aware of paradoxes can reduce unproductive conflict in organizations and using them intentionally can accelerate and transform success. This effort does not apply another abstract structure or model to your business; It’s a clearer view of reality that inspires teams that see leaders solving real challenges. The core task of managers is to make choices: to judge and choose from options and alternatives. Unfortunately, managers often settle for the trade-off in front of them. don’t.


Written by Dr. William PutsisJeff Flesher, and Robert Jacobs. William Putsis, Jeff Flesher and Robert (“Jake”) Jacobs are university professors at leading business schools, acclaimed authors, and seasoned consultants for many Fortune 500 companies. Together, they offer a suite of in-person sessions, working with companies to help them get operational The Power of Paradox.

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