Harvard Business Review Press Both/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions to Solve Your Toughest Problems

Intéressant pour apprendre à gérer les dilemmes que l’on rencontre très souvent dans les décisions d’entreprise. Clair, simple, illustration avec des cas, …

Looking deeper past the immediate dilemma allows us to see the underlying paradox - that's what we should be assessing and figuring out how holding two opposities can imrpove the quality of the potential outcomes we're seeking. Christine Brown-Quinn Author, Amazon #1 Best Seller Unlock Your Career Success

While this book is written by business school professors, the language and narratives are accessible to the non-business minded. I found myself sucked in by the story of Fogo Island and how they were going to solve their dilemma by identifying the underlying paradox (plus now I need to go there to see it for myself). I can see how with some practice, I can use this kind of both/and thinking to get to the root of my challenging decisions and solve them in a new way. I appreciate the perspective.

Recently, I have been noticing and using more paradoxical thinking when I coach at the executive level. I commonly hear of two paradoxes: 1. Short vs long term. Do we become more efficient or invest in long-term growth? Too much of either is problematic in a disrupted world—the very subject matter of ambidextrous leadership. 2. Profit vs purpose. How can we introduce more purpose or mission without sacrificing financial performance? This paradox is regularly confronted when companies consider their internal and external stakeholders, talent management and sustainability. If you face these or other organisational paradoxes, I highly recommend the work of Wendy K. Smith and Marianne Lewis, and their latest book, Both/And Thinking—a surprisingly easy read but full of substance. Here is how you will benefit: · The wisdom of understanding the difference between tension, dilemma, contradiction, and paradox. · From discovering paradoxes emerge when there is change, scarce resources or more voices at the table. · From realising some problems do not fit the prevailing either/or thinking but need you to think both/and. · By “solving” the paradox by either integration (developing a hybrid) or tightrope walking (being consistently inconsistent). · Finally, and most fundamentally, by improving your mental agility by adopting a paradox system or process: A. Shift your assumptions to both/and thinking by reframing the question. B. Find comfort in discomfort to control the impact of the surfaced tensions. C. Use boundaries wisely to contain tensions. D. Build dynamism (experiment and change your framework).

Paradox scholars Wendy Smith and Marianne Lewis offer a liberating take based on their research on “paradox mindset.” With both stories and science, they give us a path out of our mind's craving for consistency. Highly recommend!