Paradox lies at the center of many business decisions. The problem with paradox is that it’s a persistent contradiction between interdependent elements that resist a simple binary choice, for example, the need to mitigate risk to provide ‘certainty’ and the need to take risks to seize opportunities.
When dealing with most decisions, good managers decide – lucky ones get it right, you make your decision and can move on. Paradoxes are in a completely different place after you have made a decision on how to balance the paradox, the paradox remains – there is no clear-cut solution to the paradox and everyone can have a different opinion based on their view and hindsight!
Our latest article, The problem with paradox describes the problem and suggests some options for living with paradox: https://mosaicprojects.com.au/Mag_Articles/SA1058_The_Problem_with_Paradox.pdf
For more articles on decision making see: https://mosaicprojects.com.au/PMKI-TPI-010.php#Decisions
Pat Weaver
Lynda Bourne
Mosaicproject's Blog 