The Hidden Opportunity in Paradoxes

Weekly Business Insights from Top Ten Business Magazines | Week 326

Leading & Managing Section | 1

Extractive summaries and key takeaways from the articles curated from TOP TEN BUSINESS MAGAZINES to promote informed business decision-making | Since September 2017 | Week 326 | December 8-14, 2023

The Hidden Opportunity in Paradoxes

By Scott D. Anthony | MIT Sloan Management Review | Winter 2024 Issue

Extractive Summary of the Article | Listen

Leading an organization demands that we confront a constant array of choices. The really hard choices that leaders will face in our increasingly complex world, argue some management thinkers, represent a different kind of problem altogether: the paradox –  that means they contain at least two elements that relate to each other but appear to contradict.  Paradoxes can arise at the level of an individual, team, organization, and even the larger context in which an organization operates, like an industry, a state, or an entire society. But if a paradox is something that is fundamentally unresolvable, does that mean these business challenges are insurmountable?

Paradoxes are complex, adaptive, system-level issues with rampant uncertainty. That’s why the innovator’s dilemma has proved to be so stubborn despite two decades of work by practitioners and thought leaders.  Humans suffer from a predictable range of biases and blind spots that make pursuing both/and solutions challenging.  On the positive side paradoxes produced feelings of curiosity, excitement, and engagement.  However, research also suggests that paradoxes can foster “anxiety, uncertainty, and ambiguity, leaving individuals feeling threatened and defensive.”

Paradoxical problems in business can yield to solutions when leaders think beyond apparent constraints — or “out of the para-box,” if you will.  Executives can, of course, choose to follow either/or approaches. Or they can use the following techniques to seek opportunities to find both/and solutions.  

Shift perspectives.  One way to shift perspectives and find those points off the line that point to novel solutions to a problem is to run a series of thought experiments that play with constraints. That can involve removing a constraint, such as asking how you would approach an apparent paradox differently if you had infinite time or infinite resources, or imposing a constraint, such as imagining what you would do if the government suddenly outlawed the use of a particular raw material. While it might feel like imposing constraints would limit creativity, research consistently shows that constraints can focus problem-solving energy and boost creativity.  One technique that can help spur these thought experiments is what Hal Gregersen calls a “question burst,” where you brainstorm not for answers, but for provocative questions.

Adopt a paradox mindset. Adopting a mindset that views apparent paradoxes as opportunities boosts creativity and organizational performance, according to research.15 People who demonstrate a paradox mindset agree with statements such as “Tension between ideas energizes me” and “I am comfortable working on tasks that contradict each other.”

Hold a paradox sparring session. Boxers use sparring sessions to train. The goal isn’t to knock their opponent out but to practice form and response. A paradox sparring session is a purposeful place to bat around ideas and challenge assumptions.

3 key takeaways from the article

1. Leading an organization demands that we confront a constant array of choices. The really hard choices that leaders will face in our increasingly complex world, argue some management thinkers, represent a different kind of problem altogether: the paradox –  that means they contain at least two elements that relate to each other but appear to contradict. 
2. Paradoxical problems in business can yield to solutions when leaders think beyond apparent constraints — or “out of the para-box,” if you will.  Executives can use the following techniques to seek opportunities to find both/and solutions: shift perspectives, adopt a paradox mindset, and hold a paradox sparring session.
3. There’s no doubt that tackling perceived paradoxes presents challenges and requires work. Perceived paradoxes can be dissected and transcended, turning helplessness into empowerment. Make the paradox choice to turn either/ors into both/ands.

Full Article

(Copyright lies with the publisher)

Topics:  Creativity, Paradox, Decision-making