The Problem
The COVID-19 pandemic catapulted us into highly unfamiliar territory, with a raft of uncertainties and contradictory demands that persist even today. One of the uppermost and persisting tensions that emerged was a trade-off between health and economic priorities. This tension sparked a range of dilemmas for individuals and organisations seeking to navigate their futures in a post COVID-19 world.
Organisations in the post-Covid world continue to grapple with decisions about how to ensure that their strategic and operational focus positions them for the ongoing impacts of a prolonged economic downturn, while at the same time fast tracking recovery and navigating a new normal. For individuals propelled into a working from home environment, the boundaries between work and life continue to blur, so that on-going pressure for an 8hr day of productive work must be managed at the same time as changing personal demands. Oversimplified responses to these paradoxes through traditional binary’ either/or’ thinking are not helpful in this challenging environment. Rather the situation requires a new approach that will help organisations and individuals operate effectively in the environment of opposite impulses, competing priorities and contradictions. Paradox Mindset is one way to respond to these tensions by allowing us to see the challenge from another perspective.
The Solution
Research suggests that adopting Paradox Mindset can help in effectively managing contradictory demands in times of uncertainty and rapid change.
What is Paradox Mindset?
A paradox mindset has been defined as: “the extent to which one is accepting of and energised by tensions” (Miron-Spektor et al., 2018, p. 26), and is an effective response to paradoxes. It allows us to reframe competing priorities, moving away from binary ‘either/or’ assumptions towards greater exploration of the contradictions and their interdependencies, so that ‘both’ alternatives can be considered. Rather than rather than viewing paradoxes as binary alternatives and rejecting one over the other a Paradox Mindset allows us to explore paradoxical tensions, rather than suppressing or avoiding them. Individuals demonstrating Paradox Mindset learn to accept paradoxes and are more likely to see them as opportunities rather than threats (Zheng, Kark & Meister, 2018).
How can Paradox Mindset help us to thrive in times of constant change?
Our recent case study explores how individuals engage in Paradox Mindset to deal with paradoxes associated with stability and change. In this longitudinal study, we studied 12 individuals facing evolving contradictory demands in a large Australian superannuation fund that was undergoing rapid and significant change. Data was collected in three rounds from May 2019 to April 2020, and focused on exploring how Paradox Mindset can help individuals navigate the contradictory demands experienced.
Our study highlights that individuals who adopt Paradox Mindset can alter their view on the dynamic paradoxes, which then influences the decisions they make. For example, two people might respond completely differently to the competing priorities, uncertainty and changes arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals who react with an either/or mind-set tend to respond with avoidance and panic, but those who adopt Paradox Mindset are better equipped to consider a range of alternatives, thus enabling more nuanced problem-solving and courses of action.
Paradox Mindset approach
Decision-makers need strategies for effectively putting Paradox Mindset into practice. Building on the findings of our case study, we have developed a simple approach to help individuals adopt Paradox Mindset when they work with paradoxes and persistent contradictory demands. The approach can help decision-makers to seek insights, both from within and externally, and then act with intent to more effectively respond to paradoxes.
1. Seek Insights from within and externally: When evaluating a problem, seek multiple alternative perspectives, through reflection, but also through scanning the environment. Useful questions to consider include:
- How can I reframe the competing priorities to consider both alternatives, rather than choosing ‘either/or’?
- How can I pivot between multiple alternative perspectives?
- What diverse ideas or deeper understanding will help evaluate the problem?
- How can I reframe moments of discomfort as an opportunity rather than a risk?
- How might I step outside my comfort zone to find alternative perspectives?
2. Act with Intent: The following steps guide decision-makers faced with paradoxes to act with intent:
- Use simple tools (e.g., pros/cons list) to expand your perspective and evaluate the alternatives.
- Reframe a challenging and ambiguous problem as an opportunity to learn something new.
- Practice letting go of the need to control outcomes and allow space for emerging ideas.
- Take steps to maintain a positive and confident outlook.
- Select and use language with intent.
Conclusion
Since paradoxes often arise from competing priorities in complex and interconnected systems, they are likely to persist into the future. Decision-makers must learn to manage them over the long term. Paradox Mindset is not a silver bullet for the myriad of challenges facing organisations today and into the future. However, it can offer a useful approach for finding equilibrium when addressing competing priorities.