Managing Polarities instead of Solving Problems?

Posted by Ann Deaton Share Your Voice

Kelly Lewis and I just returned from completing four days of training on Polarities Management and we continue to be amazed by just how powerful this work is. So often in our work and organizations we are focused on solving problems. Once we arrive at a powerful solution, we expect that the issue will be resolved once and for all. Why is that so seldom the case? Usually it's because we've tried to find an Either/Or solution instead of recognizing it's a Both/And situation.

Our own growing company, Bounce, offers many examples:

• Should we focus on Delivery to Existing Customers or Business Development with New Clients?
• What is the right balance of Leader-directed learning and Learner-directed learning in our programs?
• Do we concentrate on the strengths of the Individual or should we consider the Team as a whole?

If we resolved any of these questions by choosing either one of the alternatives, we would be missing a critical part of the solution. These are polarities to be managed rather than problems to be solved. As such, these situations challenge us to realize the advantages of both extremes while at the same time minimizing their downsides.

According to our trainers from Polarities Management Associates--Barry Johnson, W. Cliff Kayser, and Beena Sharma--polarities (also called dilemmas or paradoxes) are "inherently unavoidable and unsolvable. The on-going, natural tension between the poles can be destructive and debilitating or can be managed, and channeled into a creative synergy that leads to superior outcomes." Some examples they share:

Leaders need to ensure that they balance both stability and change.

Organizations need to contain costs and to maintain quality.

Each of us has to balance our commitments to self and to others.

None of these are issues we can solve by choosing one pole (extreme) and neglecting the other. We need to consider, balance, and prioritize BOTH in order to succeed in a sustainable way.

To learn more about polarities management, enjoy Cliff Kayser's white paper, and Barry Johnson's book Polarity Management. Let us know what you discover about the polarities in your own life and work, and what you learn when you supplement your skills in effective problem solving with a polarities management approach. You can be sure we will be doing the same at Bounce!

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Ann Deaton I am a leadership coach, and Managing Partner in Bounce. I love to coach and facilitate with individuals and systems experiencing significant change and growth. The clients I work with, regardless of their age or position, are talented and creative individuals willing to look with fresh eyes at their challenges and opportunities, and to take action based on their discoveries. As a result, they find that they are capable of accomplishing far greater things than they ever imagined. What do you want to accomplish today? Who do you want to be?