Polarity Management

Polarity Management: Skills Project

Leah Hastings

Kaplan University

Polarity Management: Skills Project

Polarities and Polarity Management

In order to view oneself as a great leadership and problem solver one must be able to first perform the task of determining what a problem is, and two deciding if it is actually a problem at all. Ever wonder why there seems to be this continuously reoccurring issue? One that you feel you have corrected a thousand times only to have it resurface later. The reason why this problem is never resolved is because it may not actually be a problem at all. These problems may actually be interdependent and a polarity may exist. (Caldwell, 2012)

Polarities are challenges “which can not be solved, but may be effectively managed” (Deiss, pp.1, 1997). When an organization is faced with issues of opposing arguments and finds that there is no right or wrong answer a polarity may exist. An approach can be taken to bring these issues into balance. This approach is known as polarity management. “This mode of management results in a fluid ability to shift appropriately from one point of view to the other and/ or to hold both in mind at once” (Deiss, pp.2, 1997). Robert Jacob refers to polarity management as a “Both/ And” (Jacobs, pp.5, 2011) concept. It allows the use of both opposing views and continues to focus on the positive aspects of both rather than the negatives.

The Polarity Map

The function and purpose of a polarity map is that of a tool to analyze the opposing viewpoints. The map is structured in a way to outline strengths and weaknesses of both arguments. It is a visual representation of the challenges and how when kept in balance it becomes a win/ win situation. The following polarity map identifies the challenge of team verses individual. (Welp, 1992)

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EntrepreneurshipSelf reliance | Positive Results: Right PoleNetworked CollaborationTEAM

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