View two examples of Polarity maps.
Strategic Planning:
Should organizations focus on Perserving Stability or Stimulating Change? 1.8M DOC
Problem Solving:
Should individuals focus on their Work Life or Home Life? 1.8M DOC
Problem Solving methods alone cannot work on many of your most critical issues. Polarity Management supplements traditional either/or problem solving with the ability to capitalize on chronic problems that are unsolvable, unavoidable, and indestructible.
Strategic Planning is now being seen in many circles as managing a series of "unsolvable problems" (polarities, paradoxes, dilemmas).
Change Management is usually seen in the context of problems to solve. Seeing any change in the context of a polarity to manage will increase the speed, attainability, and sustainability of that change.
Leadership requires the ability to both solve problems and convert chronic, "unsolvable problems" into organizational strengths. Polarity Management helps you both identify and tap the strengths of these chronic difficulties.
Best Practices need to be sustainable if your organization is to benefit from them long term. Sustainability requires supplementing problem solving with effective management of the "unsolvable problems" (polarities, paradoxes, dilemmas). Polarity Management can give you the skills and techniques to sustain your Best Practices.
Polarity Management is the one supplement for all your organization’s initiatives to create a sustainable competitive advantage. Polarity Management supplements, and significantly increases, the effectiveness of corporate leadership best practices, leadership and change management training, problem solving training, and strategic business planning. PM consulting and online training are available, and workshops are regularly held to train your own internal staff and/or your external consultants. |
The research* is clear, those leaders and organizations that manage polarities well outperform those that don't. They outperform both in the short term and the long term. Polarities often go by a variety of names: paradoxes, dilemmas, contention, interdependent opposites, or wicked problems. High performance leaders and organizations have developed a tacit wisdom about managing polarities even if they have never heard the name. Their experience and intuition has led to a natural ability to, as F. Scott Fitzgerald said, "... hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function."
What is needed is a way to make this tacit wisdom explicit, so that leaders and organizations can be strategic and tactical about tapping the power of opposing ideas.
When this is done well the inherent tension between the opposites is converted into a creative synergy or synthesis, called virtuous circles. The opposite poles reinforce each other in a positive way. When leaders mistakenly see a polarity
to manage and think they have a problem to solve, the tension between the opposites is converted into destructive synergy called vicious circles. The opposite poles reinforce each other in a negative way. Polarity Management helps leaders and organizations prevent vicious circles and create virtuous circles.