Paradoxes in a global world 2014

2014 Confederation of Danish Industry

DI – Dansk Industri

Leadership paradoxes in a global world

Face contradictions and balance managerial tensions

THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY,

PANIC INTERNALLY

Workshop objectives and goals

Objectives:

• Introduce paradox thinking as a framework for exploring and understanding

organizational and managerial tensions

• Expand managers’ tool box to deal more constructively with increasing

complexity

Goals:

• Aid understanding of and ability to deal with divergent perspectives and

disruptive experiences created by the complexity of organizational life

• Provide a mindset and tools for identifying, making sense of, and

managing paradoxes

• Discuss leadership paradoxes in own context and gain new perspectives

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Program

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Andrea Straub-Bauer Bente Toftkær

• Introduction

• What is paradox?

• 3 levels of paradox

• Paradox in own context I

What is paradox?

• Working through paradox

• Paradox in own context II

Understanding paradox? • Ways of dealing

with paradox

• Paradox in own context III

Dealing with paradox?

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Think long-term Innovate Think global Collaborate Individual performance Decentralize Directive

Deliver short-term results

Improve efficiency

Act local

Compete

Team excellence

Standardize

Democratic

Global leadership requires balancing contradictory needs and requirements

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John is the VP for Health and Safety of a globally operating technical equipment provider. He is in charge of rolling out corporate health and safety standards across the organization’s production facilities located in 10 different countries, incl. North and South America, Europe, and Asia. Aligning processes and procedures across Europe and the USA has been challenging, but nothing compared to the implementation of standardized procedures in Asia and South America. Time and time again, John experiences tensions created between HQs corporate CSR strategy and its global commitment to high safety standards and its low-cost production focus in emerging market locations. What is at stake here? What types of tensions can be identified?

Global roll-out of corporate health and safety standards

Paradox – what is it?

Paradox

• Contradictory yet interrelated elements (dualities) that exist simultaneously and persist over time

• a “both-and” situation between two or more contradictions where a synthesis or choice is not possible or necessarily desirable

Dilemma

• Competing choices, each with advantages and disadvantages

• an “either-or” situation where one alternative must be selected over other attractive alternatives

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A

B

Paradox in own context I

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Group activity:

Discuss briefly what type of tensions or divergent pressures you experience in your organization right now. How does that affect you?

Three levels of paradox

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Leadership role Competing demands/behaviors expected from managers in their leadership roles

Individual Personal pressure experienced between individual and collective identity and/or values

Organizational Nature of organizational life with competing organizational designs and processes

Source: Inspired by L. Lüscher (2012) “Ledelse gennem Paradokset”

.

. . .

INDIVIDUAL

ROLE

ORGANIZATIONAL

1. Organizational paradox

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internal external

flexible

focused

Source: Model based on

Competing Values Framework, L.

Lüscher (2012) “Ledelse gennem

Paradokset”

2. Role paradox

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Source: Model based on

Competing Values Framework, L.

Lüscher (2012) “Ledelse gennem

Paradokset”

3. Individual paradox Individual paradox has a personal

dimension

• Relates to relationship of individual managers

with the organization, management, and peers

as well as the task

• Often experienced as contradictory dynamics,

e.g. disconnect between words and deeds

• Involves emotions, personal experiences, and

values between the individual and the group

• Personal paradoxes include e.g.

• trust vs. control

• being popular vs. being unpopular

• job security vs. new challenges

• personal interests vs. company interests

• optimism vs. problem focus

• competing vs. collaborating

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Source: L. Lüscher (2012) “Ledelse gennem

Paradokset”

INDIVIDUAL

Program

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• Introduction


• 3 levels of paradox


What is paradox?




with paradox



Working through paradox

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Source: Lüscher, L. & M.W. Lewis (2008). Organizational Change and Managerial Sensemaking: Working Through Paradox. Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 51, No. 2, 221-240.

A process of helping to make sense of tenuous demands to reduce anxiety, escape paralysis, and enable action

MESS

Problem

either or Dilemma

Paradox: both-and

Workable Certainty

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Facts Action

Behavior Vision

MESS

Problem

either or Dilemma

Paradox: both-and

Workable Certainty

Identifying the mess and extracting the problem: A questioning strategy for analyzing the problem

Source: Attractor Model inspired by Karl Tomm’s Framework for distinguishing 4 groups of questioning (1988)

• What was the situation about?

• Who was involved?

• For how long?

• What did it mean to you?

• What did you do to deal with it?

• What worked out well?

• What was the hardest lesson learned?

• What was the prize?

• What did you win?

Facts Action

Beha-vior

Vision

Discovering the FACTS


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• How did your stakeholders play their

part in the dilemma?

• Who had risked the most?

• Where in the process did you feel the

strongest need to choose between the

competing values?

• What did you learn about the

”either/ors”?

• What did you learn about the possibility

of ”both/and”?

Facts Action

Beha-vior

Vision

Discovering the BEHAVIOR


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• Let us imagine that you are most

capable of managing this kind of

situation in the future, what would be

most characteristic for the situation?

• If you should see this situation from a

totally different point of view, what will

you see that you could not see before?

• What does the vision look like which

could encourage you to do more of

”both-and” and less of ”either-or”?

Facts Action

Beha-vior

Vision

Discovering the VISION


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• What needs to be challenged in the

way of dealing with competing values

in the future?

• What needs to be directed in a more

decisive manner by you? By your

manager?

• If your stakeholders and you were to

achieve even better results the next

time, what would be the most

important thing to do a little different?

• What kind of positive difference would

that make to you? To others?

• If you should take one small step

towards an improved pay-off-balance

(”both-and”) what would that be?

• When will you do it?

Facts Action

Beha-vior

Vision

Discovering the ACTION


Paradox in own context II

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Group activity:

Discuss the new insights that you have gained in relation to handling the tensions that you experience in your organization right now.

MESS

Problem

either or Dilemma

Paradox: both-and

Workable Certainty

Program

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• Introduction


• 3-levels of paradox


What is paradox?




with paradox



Ways of dealing with paradox … requires exploring rather than suppressing tensions

1. Acceptance

2. Integrative thinking

3. Positioning

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In order to avoid paradox paralyses: Paradox must be solved through alternative ways of thinking

1. Acceptance

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• Embrace and live with paradox

• Regard paradox as a persistent and

unsolvable puzzle

• Engage anxiety and thereby face

challenges surfaced by tensions

• Discuss tensions to foster more

creative considerations

Paradox is a pre-condition of

organizational life, especially in a

global business world

2. Integrative thinking

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• Consider divergent ideas and/or

alternative poles simultaneously

• How can apparently opposing

views be brought together and

combined in new ways?

3rd solution through innovation

and creative thinking

MESS

Problem

either or Dilemma

Paradox: both-and

Workable Certainty

3. Positioning

Conscious positioning at

one pole and actively

distancing from another

based on strategic, human

or organizational

considerations.

Turning your back on one

alternative and accepting

the consequences

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internal external

flexible

focused

X

Critical skills sense making and giving

• Reflection – consider multiple dynamics and perspectives for spotting and dealing with paradox

• On the personal level

• On the organizational level (maturity)

• Courage and resilience

• Communication (what, how, who)

• Behavior – ”walk the talk”

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Paradox in own context III

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Share in your group the reflections that you’ve had in terms of “how to deal with your own paradox”?

Can you see an opening for 1) integrative thinking and/or 2) positioning? What are the consequences?

How will you communicate it:

1) to whom?

2) what is the key message?

Closing reflections What does it take from …?

Individual leader

• Ability to recognize and accept interrelated relationships of underlying tensions

• Emotional stability, courage, maturity, and integrity

• Communication skills in order to reduce anxiety in others

• Ability to self-reflect and embrace conflicting demands

Organization

• Collective tools that allow members of the organization to seek and integrate new information through distinct structures, cultures, learning processes, and managerial capabilities

• Maturity => Ability to make room for, balance, live with, and capitalize on conflicting and competing elements

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Global leader paradox navigator

… is an influential actor capable of thinking paradoxically, guiding social reflection, helping others examine tensions, and accommodate complexity rather than suppressing it.

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”

Further readings • Lüscher, Lotte (2012) “Ledelse gennem Paradokset – om ledelsesmæssig handlekraft

i organisatorisk kompleksitet”, Dansk Psykologisk Forlag.

• Smith, W.K. and M.W. Lewis (2011) ”Toward a theory of paradox: A dynamic equilibrium model of organizing”, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 36, No. 2, 381-403.

• Lüscher, L. & M.W. Lewis (2008) ”Organizational Change and Managerial Sensemaking: Working Through Paradox”, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 51, No. 2, 221-240.

• Cameron, K.S., Quinn, R.E., DeGraff, J., and A.V. Thakor (2006) “Competing Values leadership: Creating value in organizations”, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK.

• Lewis, Marianne W. (2000) ”Exploring Paradox: Toward a more comprehensive guide”, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 25, No. 4, 760-776.

• Lewis, M.W. and G.E. Dehler (2000) ”Learning through paradox: A pedagological strategy for exploring contradictions and complexity”, Journal of Management Education, Vol. 24: 708-725.

• Tomm, Karl (1988) “Interventive Interviewing: Part III. Intending to Ask Lineal, Circular, Strategic, or Reflexive Questions?” Family Process, Vol. 27, No. 1, 1-15.

• Quinn, Robert E. (1988) “Beyond rational management: Mastering the paradoxes and competing demands of high performance”, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, USA.

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More information about GLA www.globalleadershipacademy.dk

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Paradoxes in a global world 2014

Education

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