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Book part
Publication date: 8 July 2021

Eric Knight and Tobias Hahn

Organizational paradoxes must first be recognized by managers before they can respond to them. Yet scholars have adopted different perspectives on how paradoxical tensions become…

Abstract

Organizational paradoxes must first be recognized by managers before they can respond to them. Yet scholars have adopted different perspectives on how paradoxical tensions become salient and engender management responses. Some approaches have focused on the socially constituted nature of paradoxes, and others on the inherent aspects of paradoxes in the environment. The authors propose an approach that gives ontological meaning to both the socially constituted and inherent nature of organizational paradoxes. Our approach, which is inspired by quantum physics, opens up new opportunities for engaging with the socio-materiality of paradoxes, how they are measured, and the implications this has on the probabilities of managing organizational responses to paradox.

Details

Interdisciplinary Dialogues on Organizational Paradox: Learning from Belief and Science, Part A
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80117-184-7

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 February 2010

James M. Bloodgood and Bongsug (Kevin) Chae

The primary purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of viewing paradoxes, which are commonly‐accepted logical perspectives that appear contradictory, as being…

2651

Abstract

Purpose

The primary purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of viewing paradoxes, which are commonly‐accepted logical perspectives that appear contradictory, as being useful for organizational learning and to show why organizational paradoxes need to be managed integratively.

Design/methodology/approach

The cultural industries (those that promote art, music and entertainment) are used as a backdrop for developing propositions that explain the benefits of dynamically shifting between poles of a paradox and the relationship between elements of managing multiple paradoxes integratively and organizational outcomes.

Findings

It is expected that organizations which move between the poles of paradoxes are more likely to increase organizational knowledge about their capabilities and to enhance their ability to deal with paradoxes.

Research limitations/implications

Organizational researchers should consider identifying the direction and rate of movement along the poles of paradoxes by organizations when studying the appropriateness of various organizational methods for achieving outcomes such as growth or performance. Future research should examine a larger variety of paradoxes in order to increase understanding of the appropriateness of their integrative management.

Practical implications

Managers should become familiar with the speed and direction of movement (organizational change) between the poles of organizational paradoxes before making operational and strategic decisions. In addition, managers should be cognizant of the variety of paradoxes present in their organization and of the need for their integrative management.

Originality/value

The paper describes how movement along the poles of organizational paradox enhances organizational learning, as well as the importance of managing organizational paradoxes integratively.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 48 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 October 2021

Mariem Ghares, Adeline Gilson and Adama Ndiaye

In fact, this research seeks to understand, on the one hand, the nature of defensive reactions and, on the other hand, the strategies mobilised by actors to deal with paradoxes of…

Abstract

Purpose

In fact, this research seeks to understand, on the one hand, the nature of defensive reactions and, on the other hand, the strategies mobilised by actors to deal with paradoxes of identity.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors mobilise a qualitative methodology based on three contrasting longitudinal case studies, several sequences of non-participant observations, semi-structured interviews and secondary data.

Findings

The results show, on the one hand, close professional identities despite different organisations and, on the other hand, different reactions and strategies for managing paradoxes of identity despite the proximity of professional identities.

Originality/value

Beyond the singularity of the paradoxes of identity studied, the research invites the authors to develop spaces for discussion.

Details

Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 35 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0953-4814

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2008

Aidan O'Driscoll

The objective of this paper is to explain the conceptual framework of paradox.

2679

Abstract

Purpose

The objective of this paper is to explain the conceptual framework of paradox.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper adopts a theoretical approach. It outlines marketing's current and limited interest in the notion of paradox and highlights the difference between a classic paradox, the tension between transactional and relational marketing, and the Contemporary Marketing Practice (CMP) research program.

Findings

A future research agenda for paradox and marketing is speculated on, addressing issues such as likely domains for exploration, methodology, as well as the type of organizational structures and marketing leadership required. Finally, there is reflection on how paradox engineers a strong bridge between theory and practice.

Originality/value

The paper reveals useful information on paradox and marketing.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 23 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 June 2007

Peter Murphy and David Pauleen

The purpose of this paper is to argue that the successful management of creative employees in organisations that rely extensively on the development of intellectual capital must…

2207

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to argue that the successful management of creative employees in organisations that rely extensively on the development of intellectual capital must incorporate new thinking to manage the inevitable paradoxical situations that arise in such contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

The article explores and highlights conjunctions in several areas of current interest in management and global business, including social capital and intellectual capital, creativity and innovation, and arts firms and aesthetic management. Specifically, it links the development and maintenance of intellectual capital in large knowledge‐forming organisations to the successful management of paradox.

Findings

The article highlights numerous areas where managing creative employees often clashes with traditional management practices. These areas include crossing organisational boundaries, rules around the use of personal and organisational time and space, locus of authority, and freedom to think.

Originality/value

The article suggests that managing paradox requires special knowledge and skills, key of which are reflexive knowledge, trust of those who are out of sight, acceptance of ambiguity in thought and action, and pattern thinking.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 45 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 24 June 2015

Heechun Kim and Robert E. Hoskisson

Our study proposes a resource environment view (REV) of competitive advantage by unpacking the environmental origins of a firm’s competitive advantage. The key tenet of the REV is…

Abstract

Our study proposes a resource environment view (REV) of competitive advantage by unpacking the environmental origins of a firm’s competitive advantage. The key tenet of the REV is that the heterogeneity and imperfect mobility of strategic factor markets and institutions across countries explain how firms based in different countries would likely both create and sustain a competitive advantage. In particular, our study introduces the notion of “the paradox of environmental embeddedness.” The paradox lies in the fact that the same environmental conditions – in terms of strategic factor markets and institutions – that enable firms to create a competitive advantage can paradoxically also create a situation in which it is more difficult for these firms to sustain an advantage. Another important aspect of our study is that, to enhance our understanding of how firms manage the paradox of environmental embeddedness, our study specifies the resource environmental conditions under which firms’ internal and external resource-oriented strategies – that is, the development of dynamic capabilities and interventions in the country resource environment – are more beneficial when managing the environmental paradox. Overall, our theorizing has important implications for strategic management theory and practice.

Details

Emerging Economies and Multinational Enterprises
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78441-740-6

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 May 2009

Isabel M. Prieto, Elena Revilla and Beatriz Rodríguez‐Prado

The purpose of this paper is to obtain from paradox a novel lens to elucidate the connections between knowledge management (KM) and product development as a knowledge intensive

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to obtain from paradox a novel lens to elucidate the connections between knowledge management (KM) and product development as a knowledge intensive process. By focusing on the “social side” of KM, it is proposed that different KM orientations can emerge as a result of higher or lower emphasis on both cultural and structural enablers. These KM orientations generate specific potential to manage the tension and paradox of managing both knowledge exploration and knowledge exploitation knowledge during product development.

Design/methodology/approach

Empirical evidence is provided by performing survey research with data collected from 80 product development projects developed in Spain.

Findings

Results show that product development efforts can show three different KM orientations that significantly differ in their results in terms of knowledge exploration and, specially, knowledge exploitation. Moreover, product development requires a symbiosis between both cultural and structural enablers to best manage the paradox of exploration and exploitation.

Originality/value

The measurement items used can realistically be thought of as only proxies for an underlying and latent phenomenon that is neither fully nor easily measurable. Together with it, replies from multiple respondents would have ruled out potential drawbacks.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 13 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 March 2021

Marge Sassi, Ülle Pihlak and Gesa Birnkraut

The study aims to understand how practicing organizational performance evaluation (OPE) is related to the performance paradox (tensions between creative freedom and survival…

Abstract

Purpose

The study aims to understand how practicing organizational performance evaluation (OPE) is related to the performance paradox (tensions between creative freedom and survival challenges) in “evaluation-hesitant” cultural and creative industries (CCI) organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

Mixed methods research, consisting of moderation analyses and unstructured expert interviews.

Findings

A conceptual model is developed to explain how creative freedom and survival challenges affect OPE in “evaluation-hesitant” CCI organizations.

Originality/value

The authors bring a new understanding to the factors that contribute to evaluation-hesitance in CCI. The paper contributes to discussing both the theory of paradox and flow theory in explaining the relations between OPE, creative freedom and survival challenges.

Article
Publication date: 28 October 2020

Avinash Malshe and Michael T. Krush

The purpose of this study is to understand one portion of the sales ecological system. This paper focuses on the mesolevel or intra-organizational system that includes the sales…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to understand one portion of the sales ecological system. This paper focuses on the mesolevel or intra-organizational system that includes the sales and marketing functions. This paper examines distinct tensions at three levels of the firm’s hierarchy and the mechanisms used to manage the tensions.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use a qualitative data collection. A discovery-oriented process is used to understand the interconnections that exist among marketing-sales dyads at three organizational levels across several firms.

Findings

This paper uncovers distinct tensions and defenses exhibited by managers at each hierarchical level and this paper presents mechanisms that can are used to reduce the tensions.

Research limitations/implications

The multi-level perspective demonstrates the value of examining the intra-organizational aspect of the sales ecosystem. This paper uses a qualitative approach to highlight that sales-marketing tensions are unique to each of the hierarchical levels. This paper demonstrates that the tensions are a function of the unique roles each sales and marketing executive has within the organization.

Practical implications

To make the sales and marketing interface more effective, managers need to view tensions across the sales-marketing interface as complementary versus opposing forces. Managers must balance these tensions, rather than fight them and/or select one of the alternatives over the other. This paper suggests that paradoxical thinking may be a valued skillset for managers at each level of the organization.

Originality/value

The study uses a unique qualitative data set that examines the sales-marketing interface across three levels of an organizational hierarchy. Through this approach, this paper delineates specific tensions between marketing and sales within each level of the firm. This paper also describes mechanisms to manage the tensions common within the sales-marketing interface.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 36 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 8 July 2021

Peter Ping Li

The author argues and explains that the indigenous Eastern epistemological frame of yin-yang balancing can be taken as a unique system of thinking toward a meta-perspective. It is…

Abstract

The author argues and explains that the indigenous Eastern epistemological frame of yin-yang balancing can be taken as a unique system of thinking toward a meta-perspective. It is not only deeply rooted in the indigenous Eastern culture traditions, but also bears salient global implications, especially in the domain of paradox management. The purpose and contribution of this chapter are twofold: (1) to explain the unique and salient features of yin-yang balancing (the “either/and” system to reframe paradox into duality as partially conflicting and partially complementary, both spatially and temporarily) as compared with the Western logic systems (the “either/or” and “both/or” or “both/and” systems); and (2) to explore the global implications of the “either/and” system for future paradox research, including the three unique themes of overlap between opposites with the “seed” of one opposite inside the other; threshold from the contingent balance between partial separation and partial integration in line with specific contexts through three operating mechanisms, and knot for the special role of third-party to shift paradox from a dyadic level to a triadic and even a multiplex level.

Details

Interdisciplinary Dialogues on Organizational Paradox: Learning from Belief and Science, Part A
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80117-184-7

Keywords

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