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TOWARD A THEORY OF PARADOX: A DYNAMIC EQUILIBRIUM MODEL OF ORGANIZING.

Wendy K. Smith1; Marianne W. Lewis2

1 University of Delaware · 2 University of Cincinnati

Academy of Management Review 2011

As organizational environments become more global, dynamic, and competitive, contradictory demands intensify. To understand and explain such tensions, academics and practitioners are increasingly adopting a paradox lens. We review the paradox literature, categorizing types and highlighting fundamental debates. We then present a dynamic equilibrium model of organizing, which depicts how cyclical responses to paradoxical tensions enable sustainability—peak performance in the present that enables success in the future. This review and the model provide the foundation of a theory of paradox.

DOI
10.5465/amr.2011.59330958
Volume
36 (2)
Pages
381-403
Language
en
Export
BibTeX
Sources
crossref openalex