Management Paradoxes!

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Management Paradoxes! / 030 10 Apr 2021

The dictionary defines Paradox as “a situation or statement that seems impossible or is difficult to understand because it contains two opposite facts or characteristics”. In professional life, we are faced with paradoxes of every kind. Management wisdom is often a bundle of contradictions – we are told to do one thing but then also given the exact opposite advice at other times. For example – Be in control over your emotions, we are told, but then we are also told to loosen up and be ourselves. But these are pole-opposites in terms of behaviour! Can one exhibit both behaviours at different times (and still be oneself)? It can be very confusing for younger professionals – as it was for the first ~15 years of my own career. Over time, I learnt and adapted, and recognised the need to first reconcile these contradictions in my own mind. That gave me the confidence needed to handle situational requirements.

In this article, I walk you through similar such paradoxes in the corporate world, to get a sense of what is really right or wrong, and more importantly, when is it right or wrong. Knowing and understanding these paradoxical requirements will help in navigating the complex dynamics of our professional challenges better. We will also learn to adapt our behaviour – for example, controlling our emotions as well as expressing them vocally – without feeling like two different people at times. Do read on!

Paradox 01: Speak Up Vs. Listen Up

-         Both are important. Actively listening to others is hard, especially when you are eager to share your view. But this is important, because you gain the added advantage of factoring in others’ perspectives when you speak later. Also, when you are a manager, always listen first, before you speak. Exceptions are rare, like in a crisis, when you definitely have to speak first. As a rule of thumb, always listen actively before you speak up.

Paradox 02: Be Firm Vs. Be Flexible

-         We need to be firm in our views, and need to take a stand on issues. We must not allow ourselves to be pushed around. This is the general wisdom. At the same time, we are also told to be flexible, and to accommodate others’ views and perspectives as well. But the key question of when to be firm and when to be flexible – this is unfortunately not explained by anybody. I have observed that in areas where I am not be Subject Matter Expert, it helps to stay flexible and take into account the SME’s perspective. On the other hand, if I am the SME, I can be firm and state my view upfront. As a rule of thumb, managers need to demonstrate higher flexibility before coming to a decision, but be firm while taking the final decision and in sticking with it afterwards.

Paradox 03: Respect seniority Vs. Speak truth to power

-         This is probably the most challenging, because in choosing one or the other, we are defining ourselves in some way. We feel we are risking something, that our choice may impact our career or affect relationships in some way. Mostly, this is just the way we feel. In reality, we are risking only our reputation or credibility. By not giving due respect to seniority or expertise, we risk the good will and trust of the larger team. By not speaking truth, we are again risking our credibility, and we may be perceived as being weak or ineffective. As a rule of thumb, stay respectful but never hesitate to speak truth (politely) when your inner compass tells you to do so.

Paradox 04: Big Picture Vs. Little details

-         Management wisdom tells us to focus on the big picture. It also tells us not to ignore the little details that make up the big picture. In management parlance it is the ‘Forest Vs. Trees’ dilemma. Are we stuck while zooming in to look at the trees, or are we able to zoom out and see the forest in its entirety? In my experience, the situation is important to decide whether we choose the ‘forest’ or the ‘trees’. For example, when communicating strategy, big picture ('forest') takes precedence. Whereas when discussing a manufacturing topic, details ('trees') are more important. As a rule of thumb, the most effective leaders start with little details and build up the big picture from those same details.

Paradox 05: Rational Decisions Vs. ‘Gut’ Decisions

-         Early managers were all taking decisions based on their ‘gut’ or intuitive feeling; then management science evolved and asked them to decide rationally based on data. Gradually over the years, managers became more and more dependant on data to make decisions. But by now, management science had come full circle, eulogising the importance of gut-based decisions. To my mind, rationality forms the mainstay of most decision-making, since they bring objectivity. But they have their limits – when we face new challenges (such as decisions on digital transformation, for example) there is no past data to refer to. We must rely on our intuition or gut to take a decision on whether we go ahead, and if yes, to what extent. As a rule of thumb, analyse all available data, but go with your gut when data is insufficient.

Paradox 06: Follow market trends Vs. Do something different

-         All business leaders work to make their organisations successful in the market and to do better than competition. To this extent, they need to be aware of the market dynamics, and shifting trends. Much of management theory (like Porter’s five forces) and the work of management consultants fall under this activity, i.e. the evaluation of market, positioning with respect to competition, bargaining power with customers (ability to make a profit) and the disruptive potential of new products. But later management theory moved to ‘blue’ oceans or undiscovered markets with little or no competition. Apple is an excellent example of a company creating new products and new markets in their wake (for example, how many of us knew there would be a market for I-Pads?). Now we have companies who want to have a culture of start-ups, in order to create new products or conceive new services. As a rule of thumb, actively follow market trends for your current product portfolio, but also invest some time for new and disruptive products.

At the end of the day, good judgement comes from experience – but experience itself comes from bad judgement! All of us learn from mistakes made, and hopefully we become a bit wiser with a with each one. Our judgement thus improves with time, helping us to handle these paradoxes in a situation-appropriate manner. There is no right or wrong, no black or white, just multiple shades of grey. I hope you liked reading this article, and look forward to your responses and feedback. Let us build a conversation around this topic. Warm regards, Krishnakumar.

Image courtesy

Courtesy (commlabindia.com)

References

PARADOX | Cambridge English Dictionary

Porter's 5 Forces Definition (investopedia.com)

Blue Ocean Strategy & Blue Ocean Shift