Key Management Development Models

15

Polarity management

The big picture

Polarity management, the brainchild of Barry Johnson, an organisational and leadership development consultant, is a technique based on the idea that what we perceive as problems in which the solution is the polar opposite of the presenting issue are actually just trends to be managed.

So, for example, a manager may perceive that her team members are working too much on an individual basis and the ‘solution’ is to develop their team skills so that they work more as a team. In reality, both individual work and teamwork bring benefits and problems. Managing the balance between the two is the real answer (see Figure 15.1).

Johnson produced a simple visual tool which allows you to explore all aspects of a problem ...