[Silver Series] The Power of Paradox

Schools increasingly grapple with strategic paradoxes — contradictory pressures that are too often viewed as “either/or” choices. Drawing from more than 20 years of pioneering research, bestselling author Wendy Smith will explain the core ideas behind “both/and thinking,” helping participants to reframe the paradoxes that underlie their greatest challenges. This presentation will explain the core ideas behind a both/and approach, as well as the relationship between paradoxes and organizational performance. Smith will provide multiple examples of individuals and leaders who have grappled with paradoxical tension and competing demands to ultimately enable growth and sustainability. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Gain an introductory knowledge of paradoxes and both/and thinking.
2. Hear examples of leaders engaging both/and thinking.
3. Learn to apply concepts to real-life challenges.

The Silver Learning Series is made possible with generous support from the NBOA Corporate Circle members:

Pricing

Members: Free
Nonmembers: $99.00

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Presenter

Wendy K. Smith

Dana J. Johnson Professor of Management

University of Delaware

Newark, DE

Wendy K. Smith is the Dana J. Johnson professor of management at the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics and co-director Women’s Initiative at the University of Delaware. She earned her doctorate in organizational behavior at Harvard Business School, where she began her research on strategic paradoxes — how leaders and senior teams effectively respond to contradictory, yet interdependent demands. Working with executives and scholars globally, she received the Web of Science Highly Cited Research Award for four consecutive years and received the Decade Award from the Academy of Management Review. Her work has been published in such journals as Academy of Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, Harvard Business Review, Organization Science and Management Science. She has taught at the University of Delaware, Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania – Wharton while leading classes for executive and senior leadership teams around the globe.