What is paradox? Tensions, contradictions and oppositions in organization studies

Abstract

"This insightful Elgar Introduction comprises the first effort to provide a succinct overview of the field of organizational paradox theory, exploring contradictions and tensions in organizational settings. By conceptually mapping the field, it offers guidance through the literature on paradox, making space for new interpretations and applications of the concept. Opening with a critical analysis of research to date, the authors explore ideas related to dialectics and ambidexterity in organizations, as well as pragmatic approaches to organizational paradox. Chapters propose new ways to analyse responses to paradox, bringing together influential contributions that consider the nestedness of paradox, the relation between power and paradox, and paradoxes of positive organizational scholarships. Providing novel approaches to the discipline, this cutting-edge book is crucial for graduate students and management scholars interested in employing organizational paradox theory as a conceptual framework for their research"-- Introduction -- 1. What is paradox? Tensions, contradictions and oppositions in organization studies -- 2. How to deal with paradoxes : The role of responses in the construction of paradoxical tension -- 3. The bright side : Paradoxes and positive organizational scholarship -- 4. The dark side : Absurdity and pragmatic paradoxes -- 5. Nested, multiple and multidimensional paradoxes -- 6. Paradoxes of power, control and empowerment -- 7. The sociological futures of paradox : Incorporating grand challenges -- References.