The DOI matches its Crossref record; 298 of the 301 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Paradox Research in Management Science: Looking Back to Move Forward
Open accessAbstract
Paradox studies offer vital and timely insights into an array of organizational tensions. Yet this field stands at a critical juncture. Over the past 25 years, management scholars have drawn foundational insights from philosophy and psychology to apply a paradox lens to organizational phenomena. Yet extant studies selectively leverage ancient wisdom, adopting some key insights while abandoning others. Using a structured content analysis to review the burgeoning management literature, we surface six key themes, which represent the building blocks of a meta-theory of paradox. These six themes received varying attention in extant studies: paradox scholars emphasize types of paradoxes, collective approaches, and outcomes, but pay less attention to relationships within paradoxes, individual approaches, and dynamics. As this analysis suggests, management scholars have increasingly simplified the intricate, often messy phenomena of paradox. Greater simplicity renders phenomena understandable and testable, however, oversimplifying complex realities can foster reductionist and incomplete theories. We therefore propose a future research agenda targeted at enriching a meta-theory of paradox by reengaging these less developed themes. Doing so can sharpen the focus of this field, while revisiting its rich conceptual roots to capture the intricacies of paradox. This future research agenda leverages the potential of paradox across diverse streams of management science.
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“The relationship between the poles in tension was thus perceived as mutually beneficial, and there was no point in unbalancing or devitalizing the process (Schad et al., 2016).”
From From a Hobby to a Business: Drifting through Paradox While the Business Accelerates (2024) · cites this paper as Schad et al., 2016
In the citing paper
“Paradox theory offers a more constructive response to tensions by envisioning a virtuous cycle, with organizations overcoming their defensiveness to embrace these tensions and viewing them as an opportunity to find synergies that accommodate and transcend the opposing poles (Schad et al., 2016).”
From Artificial Intelligence and Management: The Automation–Augmentation Paradox (2021) · cites this paper as Schad et al., 2016
In the citing paper
“Conversely, organizations that accept a tension as paradoxical and pay attention to its competing demands could enable virtuous cycles (Schad et al., 2016).”
From Artificial Intelligence and Management: The Automation–Augmentation Paradox (2021) · cites this paper as Schad et al., 2016
In the citing paper
“More encompassing perspectives, such as paradox theory (Schad et al., 2016) or systems theory (Sterman, 2000), offer a vantage point from which researchers can observe the dynamic interplay between automation and augmentation.”
From Artificial Intelligence and Management: The Automation–Augmentation Paradox (2021) · cites this paper as Schad et al., 2016
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Artificial Intelligence and Management: The Automation–Augmentation Paradox
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Self-citationTourism and COVID-19: Impacts and implications for advancing and resetting industry and research
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Microfoundations of Organizational Paradox: The Problem Is How We Think about the Problem
Miron‐Spektor, E., Ingram, A., Keller, J., Smith, W. K., & Lewis, M. W. (2017) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/amj.2016.0594 · Cited by 887
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Metadata
- Authors
- Schad, J., Lewis, M. W., Raisch, S., & Smith, W. K.
- Affiliations
- University of Geneva (CH)
- Venue
- Academy of Management Annals
- Publisher
- Academy of Management
- Published
- 2016-01
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 5-64
- ISSN
- 1941-6067 (ISSN-L)
- 1941-6520
- OpenAlex
- W4247573850
- Cited by
- 1,385
- References
- 301
- Citations by year
- 2026: 199 · 2025: 194 · 2024: 160 · 2023: 145 · 2022: 144 · 2021: 175 · 2020: 121 · 2019: 104 · 2018: 72 · 2017: 56 · 2016: 15
- FWCI
- 159.45
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- udspace.udel.edu
- Locations
- Academy of Management Annals (publishedVersion)
- Archive ouverte UNIGE (University of Geneva) (publishedVersion)
- City Research Online (City University London) (acceptedVersion)
- Library, Museums and Press - UDSpace (University of Delaware) (submittedVersion)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Archive ouverte UNIGE (University of Geneva) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Management and Organizational Studies
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Management Theory and Practice
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Innovation and Knowledge Management
- Keywords
- paradox theory, organizational tensions, ancient wisdom, future research agenda
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