Polarity Management: Identifying and Managing Unsolvable Problems

I have long been familiar with the difference between 'both/and' vs, 'either/or' thinking and its application to leadership development. This book takes an In depth look at how to more fully understand how this plays out in all sorts of ways in life, career, relationships...you name it. My coaching clients are learning to question their assumptions and realizing they have more options than they thought. In today's VUCA world (see Kevin Cashman's Pause Principle), the ability to explore polarities and the cycle we can get wrapped up into is a huge advantage. Easy to understand with great examples. Really don't even need a coach to gain the benefits.

Barry Johnson's book heightens the readers' awareness of polarities that play themselves out in our everyday lives. If one can accept the notion that there are many unsolvable problems, the reader can take solace in becoming engaged with the author's thorough explanation of how to identify and manage these polarities. By doing so, the vignettes described are energizing and provide teachable moments. Some of the lessons of the book are: We are taught to look at both the upside and downside of polarities. We see and feel what Johnson calls the `tradition bearing' and `crusading' patterns of behavior. We see and feel that by considering at all sides of a situation, we can participate in a healthy dance between them. We rush `to be right' rather than becoming `accurate and complete.' While some of the concepts are at first difficult to grasp, paradoxically, by following the principles of polarity management itself, the lessons learned can be very powerful and worth the journey.

I chose this rating based upon usable material. I must say I have never considered the concepts presented in this book and probably would have been better off had I done so! It was a quick read full of things that I could do immediately to improve the success of change efforts! My highest recommmendation for this book based upon utility!

A simple insight into how - if we treat everything & everyone as a problem then everyone & everything becomes a problem. The model & the explanation works really well in the work environment when trying to explain to people that many things are not solvable, they are part of the cycle of business & life. It also works wonderfully with life stuff. I recommend this book to others regularly.

Initially, when I read the first chapter, I thought this was a very interesting concept. I believe very strongly that many of the decisions we have to make in our personal and professional lives are unfairly categorized as binary...we fund a project, or not...we buy a new house, or not...polarity management (PM) argues that many of the "fixes" that managers implement at work (eg; centralizing decision-making when too much of the decision-making is the field) just set us up for a pendulum of back and forth. Using PM would have a manager consider the upside for both "poles" and do her best to keep the decision-making in a best of both worlds status, as long as can be managed. In theory, I do think this is an interesting way of discussing pole-based issues. The book is easily twice as long as it should be and I didn't find the examples to be terribly relevant. Another issue to bring up is that PM exists on the basis that there are two poles. This can limit decision-making and crush creativity.

This insightful book explains how to recognize, and what to do with 'team disagreements' that won't stay solved. Simply, or maybe not so simply, some things are not either/or, they are and/both. I was not skilled in seeing the difference. Now I have a chance at it.

Clear and concise; the book teaches great concepts for businesses and individuals. It’s worth a read. I find it helpful when working with groups to go through processes described so that we understand what things would actually look like when they are going well. While we all love to lean on our strengths there's an equilibrium that is necessary to keep work moving forward. This book describes that in a very concrete and clear picture.

Highly recommend to startup founders and any designers of organizations that are meant to both grow and last. Polarity management has changed the way I think about how to make the best of many challenges and opportunities that our company faces.

Gift

I used this book at work - it was so helpful to much of my thinking. It is a practical way to avoid excess and extremism which knocks a system out of kilter with negative consequences. I have retired and now feel the need of it in my everyday life (so ordered it for myself) - it is extremely wise and helpful and certainly an excellent tool to plan and think with and the sort of book to have handy to help you think through any problematic situation.

When embarking on a major change program, it's all too easy to fall into a narrative in which the old is bad, and the new is good, creating the false impression that the new situation is going to solve all our problems. In most cases, the new situation may be better in some things, but could also be worse in things the current situation is particularly good at. This book shows that very often a change is not so much a solution, but a change in balance between seemingly opposing values. Trying to force change onto people by claiming it will solve our current problems my be accurate for the problems identified, but is also woefully incomplete with respect to many problems left unspoken. This incompleteness then easily leads to resistance, contrary forces finding reasons to fight each other, false absolutes, and conflict. The book offers a great method for examining the polarities of complex change initiatives, bringing to light the promises and pitfalls of both sides of the conflict or tension. I have used this method in my work and have never been disappointed by its effect on the groups I used it with: the simple fact of shining a clear light on all sides of the conflict is often enough to change the dynamics inside the group, and their attitude towards the world around them. I highly recommend this book for anyone dealing with change and conflict in their work environment.

Ainda estou estudando o conteúdo, mas estou gostando@

Great book well written. Dealing with life's paradoxes that we come across every day. There is no right or wrong answer. Applicable in all parts of life.