Navigating Leadership Paradox: Engaging Paradoxical Thinking in Practice

One  of the most significant management challenges in modern companies and  organizations is dealing with unavoidable, complex paradoxes. Today’s  world is multidimensional, multipolar, and multipurpose, and  increasingly, classic management challenges such as leadership vs.  management; exploitation vs. exploration, virtual vs. physical presence,  economic sustainability vs. environmental sustainability, localization  vs. globalization, etc. assume the characteristics of paradoxes rather  than problems or dilemmas. 

Leadership of paradox is  not about making a decision once and for all or prioritizing tough  trade-offs, but about navigating between opposing considerations. Navigating Leadership Paradox argues that academic knowledge pools can support leaders’  decision-making and sense-making in organizations and navigating  paradoxes. The book outlines a practical pathway for management leaders  and professionals for steering through paradox using 5 phases, 10  paradoxes, 15 tools, 20 cases, and 25 learning points. It delineates how  to identify a paradox by assessing the nature of your challenge and  discusses the appropriate courses of action individually as well in  collaboration with other stakeholders. It also gives inspiration and  advice for professional helpers assisting others in navigating paradox  as part of organizational development or other educational purposes. 

This  book will be essential reading for practitioners and academicians in  the fields of leadership paradox, complexity management, change  management, leadership dilemmas and organizational paradox.