infonet-economy

While paradoxical tensions may induce anxiety and slower decision-making they also live at the heart of the creative process. Paradox theory scholars suggest that the key to unlocking the innovative potential of these tensions lies in the paradoxical thinking abilities of individuals. In the context of innovation projects, however, the optimal distribution of paradox mindsets within the project team is an open question. First, our findings show that teams that simultaneously engage in exploration and exploitation activities experience higher levels of paradoxical tensions. Second, we find that teams that exhibit greater paradox mindset diversity across their members were able to leverage paradoxical tensions and create more innovative solutions, while teams with low paradox mindset diversity were negatively impacted by these tensions.