{"id":48540,"date":"2022-11-17T18:50:07","date_gmt":"2022-11-17T23:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ccl.org\/?post_type=articles&#038;p=48540"},"modified":"2025-05-08T07:00:46","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T11:00:46","slug":"manage-paradox-for-better-performance","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/www.ccl.org\/articles\/leading-effectively-articles\/manage-paradox-for-better-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Manage Paradox"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Introduction<\/h2>\n<p>Conflicting demands and either\/or tensions are the norm for many managers. They don\u2019t get resolved by tackling one demand at a time, or by making a \u201cfinal\u201d decision.<\/p>\n<p>Paradoxes \u2014 <a href=\"\/articles\/leading-effectively-articles\/are-you-facing-a-problem-or-a-polarity\/\">also described as polarities, and sometimes mislabeled as problems<\/a> \u2014 are dilemmas that seem to defy common sense and business acumen. They can be overwhelming, difficult to understand, complex, and seemingly impossible to address.<\/p>\n<p>These tensions show up in all facets of organizational life, including leadership <em>(control vs. empowerment)<\/em>, teamwork<em> (tasks vs. relationships)<\/em>, strategy<em> (competition vs. collaboration)<\/em>, structure <em>(centralized vs. decentralized)<\/em>, and within ourselves <em>(work vs. home)<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/cclinnovation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/managing-paradox.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">our white paper on managing paradox<\/a> notes, the research is clear: <strong>Organizations, leaders, teams, and individuals that manage paradox are better performers than those who don\u2019t.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Here are 2 tools to help you and your organization better understand and manage paradox.<\/p>\n<h2>2 Techniques for Managing Paradox<\/h2>\n<h3>Polarity Mapping and Duality Mapping<\/h3>\n<p>Common business models and tools are not very useful in managing paradoxes.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, we suggest mapping paradoxes through <strong>Polarity Mapping<sup>\u00ae<\/sup><\/strong>, a concept developed by Barry Johnson, founder of Polarity Partnerships and author of\u00a0<em>Polarity Management: Identifying and Managing Unsolvable Problems<\/em>,\u00a0and <strong>Duality Mapping<\/strong>, a new approach developed by CCL.<\/p>\n<h4>Using Polarity Mapping to Manage Paradox<\/h4>\n<p>Polarity Mapping<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0is a means for managers and organizations to think about the larger value, or purpose, of balancing 2 polarities, as well as to determine specific action steps to manage paradox. You can use Polarity Mapping to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Articulate 2 \u201cpoles\u201d that are competing or at odds.<\/li>\n<li>Look at the potential positive results (as well as the negatives).<\/li>\n<li>Explore the drawbacks or fears related to over-emphasizing one or the other.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of a\u00a0<strong><em>Tasks and Relationships<\/em><\/strong> polarity map, exploring a common unsolvable tension faced when leading virtual teams, as we explored in <a href=\"http:\/\/cclinnovation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/how-to-lead-virtual-teams-the-power-of-leveraging-polarities.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">another white paper<\/a>. Using this tool, you can easily see both the positive and negative consequences of each side of the pair, which shows why <strong>virtual teams are most successful when they have <em>both <\/em>a task focus <em>and <\/em>a relationships focus<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/tasks-relationships-manage-paradox-center-for-creative-leadership.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/tasks-relationships-manage-paradox-center-for-creative-leadership.png\" alt=\"Infographic: Tasks and Relationships - How to Manage Paradox\" width=\"800\" height=\"479\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h4>Using Duality Mapping to Manage Paradox<\/h4>\n<p>Duality Mapping draws on the concept of yin and yang. Yin and yang in the Chinese classical philosophy originates from 2 of the oldest books in China, <em>I Ching<\/em> (or <em>Book of Changes<\/em>) and <em>Tao De Ching<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The philosophy is based on the premise that everything in the world consists of 2 opposite elements that are partially conflicting and partially complementary.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-48545\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/yin-yang-symbol-manage-paradox-center-for-creative-leadership.jpg\" alt=\"Yin Yang Symbol - How to Manage Paradox\" width=\"300\" height=\"204\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ccl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/yin-yang-symbol-manage-paradox-center-for-creative-leadership.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.ccl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/yin-yang-symbol-manage-paradox-center-for-creative-leadership-300x204.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The yin-yang symbol stands as a reminder that paradoxes are interrelated and interdependent. Often the yin-yang symbol is viewed as showing unity-in-opposites, balance and equilibrium. But there are variations of the yin-yang symbol. The proportions of yin and yang may vary widely, interacting with each other and working together dynamically. The ancient philosophy reminds us that <strong>paradoxical forces are not only opposed, but also cooperate with each other<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Duality Mapping incorporates the yin-yang balancing philosophy. It also highlights the existence of both extremist and moderate groups within each of the 2 opposite elements and explores harmonies and tensions as they co-exist.<\/p>\n<p>Without the ability to hold competing interests in mind, organizations risk losing sight of the wisdom and opportunities that emerge when leadership pursues paradoxical thinking.<\/p>\n<p>Polarity Mapping and Duality Mapping are both practical and thought-provoking approaches to managing paradox.<\/p>\n<p>By blending Eastern and Western philosophies, organizations may find the most effective, transformative solution to handling complex, paradoxical demands.<\/p>\n<p>How do your leaders handle the tension and conflict around conflicting demands? What\u2019s your organization doing to cultivate people who can think in terms of <i>both\/and<\/i>?<\/p>\n<h2>Ready to Take the Next Step?<\/h2>\n<p><strong><em>Develop leaders who can recognize and manage paradox and polarities with a customized learning journey using our research-backed modules. Available <a href=\"\/leadership-solutions\/leadership-topics\/\">leadership topics<\/a> include Conflict Resolution, Emotional Intelligence, Listening to Understand, <a href=\"\/leadership-solutions\/leadership-topics\/leadership-paradox\/\">Leadership Paradox &amp; Polarity<\/a>, Psychological Safety, Virtual &amp; Remote Teams, and more.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Conflicting demands and \u201ceither\/or\u201d tensions are the norm for many managers. Use these 2 techniques \u2014 Polarity Mapping\u00ae and Duality Mapping \u2014 to help you and your organization better understand and manage paradox.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":48542,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48540","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categories-polarity-paradox","region-global","article-type-leading-effectively-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v26.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Manage Paradox | Center for Creative Leadership<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Paradoxes are conflicting demands and unsolvable tensions that feel difficult to address. 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