Beyond Binary: Embracing Workplace Polarities in 2025

During the course of 2024, the business news coverage has been based on two seemingly different paradigms with regards to work remote work vs. in-person work, flexibility vs. structure, and AI’s role in the workplace or otherwise. The above mentioned paradigms have thus formed what can be seen as straw poles in organizational management. These narratives frequently force managers and employees to come up with binary choices, thus giving the impression that one approach is better than the other. Such thinking is black and white and does not capture all the nuances of the organization and can therefore cause division. Rather than being viewed as either/or decisions where one is good and the other is bad, companies should understand these as opposite poles that need to be managed and balanced and may vary depending on the context.

Understanding Polarity Management

A polarity is a pair of opposing yet interconnected elements that on the surface seem to be mutually exclusive but are in fact interdependent and both are required for a successful outcome. While problems can be solved by a single decision, management of polarity is a process of how to use both poles constructively and how to reduce the negative aspects of both poles at the same time. In the polarity management framework, developed by Barry Johnson, it is stated that when an organization embraces one pole and neglects the other, it results in the decline of performance and negative outcome. For instance, increased flexibility can enhance the morale of the employees in the short run, but can work against the coherence and focus of the organization if combined with little structure. In the long run these static options may become detrimental as they will worsen over time and produce less than desirable results. Marianne W. Lewis and Wendy K. Smith argue for a mindset shift where people are able to “think in terms of both/and. ”

Polarities in Practice

Let us look at how successful organizations navigate the individual versus collective polarity in their workplaces. Smart companies do not favor one over the other but design their structures to accommodate both individual freedom and group unity. They may have a system where individuals are given feedback on their work and are allowed to pursue personal projects as well as being part of group activities that serve the team’s purpose. Performance management systems in these organizations reward individual performance as well as the team results. This approach allows for personal development and creativity to thrive together with effective teams and a common mission. As such, it is difficult for organizations to achieve and sustain polarity but it is crucial for leaders to be able to identify the signs and signals of the organization leaning too far to one pole or the other.

Leading with Polarity Intelligence

For leaders, accepting polarity management as a strategy means learning new skills. First, they must admit that the zone is grey and there are no black and white principles that are bad or good. Then, they have to determine the potential impact of leaning too far to one side of the poles and how the organization may respond. From this knowledge, they can formulate systems and cultures that can accept and incorporate both aspects of the polarity. This might entail the use of flexible guidelines rather than strict rules, the monitoring and reviewing of the framework on a frequent basis with an aim of adjusting it in line with the organization’s needs, and explaining the complex nature of the approach to the stakeholders. It is no longer a question of finding out which of the two extremes is right and which is wrong in today’s workplace, but rather a question of how to effectively navigate the two extreme yet interdependent paradigms. The managers who grasp this concept can create more flexible, and more durable organizations that can thrive in the environment that is characterized by change and uncertainty.

1 Katzenbach, J., Steinhorn, L., & Tappin, S. (2022, August). Solving tough problems requires a mindset shift. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2022/08/solving-tough-problems-requires-a-mindset-shift