Managing Paradox in Organisations

Living with Mixed Messages and Competing Demands

As suggested by the list below, paradox is endemic in organisations. The list sets out a few of the paradoxes that organisations, and individuals within them, face on a daily basis:

decentralise power -and - retain overall control
cut costs - and - improve performance and quality
think long term - and - deliver results now
be flexible - and - be decisive
collaborate - and - compete
excel individually - and - put the team first
innovate - and - avoid mistakes
reduce job security - and - improve commitment
specialise - and - become a generalist
maximise owner/customer value - and - satisfy other stakeholder demands
stick to the agreed plan - and - adapt to changing circumstances
seize the initiative - and - don't take unnecessary risks
change the business - and - maintain continuity

Too often managers try to deal with paradoxes such as these using 'either-or' thinking. This presupposes, though, that there is a right and a wrong answer to 'the problem'. But organisations need, for example, both to innovate and, at the same time, to avoid mistakes. These tensions therefore need to be managed dynamically, rather than attempting to deal with them in a 'once and for all' way. Managers need to think of each of the above 'mixed messages' as paradoxical pairs of requirements, both of which need to be dealt with at the same time. This requires a different approach to that which managers have historically associated with decisiveness and 'heroic' leadership behaviour. In particular, it requires them to deal openly with the inevitable tensions that are generated, and to search for a more creative outcome than would otherwise be possible. This shifts the emphasis away from either-or and win-lose towards a both-and, win-win perspective.