Paradox Management: Contradictions and Tensions in Complex Organizations

Chapter 1. Introduction: The Quest for Value. 8

Part I. The external context 17

Chapter 2. The strategic context. The mother of paradox. 20

Environmental change: Confusion logics in management 25

Institutional plurality: New rules of the game challenge value creation. 28

Chapter summary: Challenged organizational boundaries produce paradoxes  33

Chapter 3. The historical context. Contradictory ideals of management 35

Authority and autonomy: Reason as much as you like, but obey. 36

The interest paradigm: Organize to combat paradoxes. 38

The design paradigm: Eliminate paradoxes. 40

The needs paradigm: Build relations to guard against paradoxes. 42

The knowledge paradigm: Inspire to overcome paradoxes. 43

The complexity paradigm: Release the organization. 44

Chapter summary: Paradox theory is a corrective and a supplement to traditional organizational theory  45

Part II. The organizational paradoxes. 49

Chapter 4. The foundation. A new perspective on management in complexity. 50

The paradox concept: The birth and expansion of an alluring concept 53

Contradictions: The root system and wingspan of paradoxes. 58

Tensions: Paradoxes are experienced as tensions. 60

Chapter summary: Paradoxes unite theory positions. 63

Chapter 5. The paradox types. Tensions in organizing, performance, belonging, and learning  65

Organizing: Barriers for the post-bureaucratic organization. 66

Performing: When you reach the cross-road, go to the left and to the right 73

Belonging: You, me, us and them... 79

Learning: Tensions of time. 84

Chapter summary: Paradoxes produce devastating and constructive outcomes  88

Part III. The management tactics. 90

Chapter 6. Paradox tactics: Avoid, activate, transcend. 91

Tactical logics: The organizational ability to create value. 94

Avoidance: Avoid paradoxes. 96

Activation: Activate paradoxes. 103

Transcendence: Transcend paradoxes. 111

Turning points: Renew the organizational ability to create value. 114

Chapter summary: A new language on managing complexity. 117

Chapter 7. Value creation: Paradoxes as a holistic perspective on management 119

The building blocks: The platform of paradox management 119

Management practice: Identify and confront organizational paradoxes. 122

Chapter summary: Value creation through tensions. 125

Concluding remarks. Optimism and skepticism in the quest for value. 127

Index.