Among the award-winning papers for 2015-2016 that were recently featured on the Joint Chiefs of Staff website is, “PARADOX & POLARITY: TOOLS FOR MANAGING COMPLEXITY” by Tod A. Roy of the Defense Intelligence Agency. JPME (Joint Professional Military Education) institutions are potentially valuable sources for lessons learned and of military academic research results. Mr. Roy’s paper was published under the NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIVERSITY JOINT FORCES STAFF COLLEGE – Advance Warfighting School. I’ve provided a few of the many highlights from the paper below and the direct link to the paper.
“The US military must change the way it thinks about change and move from linear binary either/or thinking and problem solving to considering the inherent contradictions and complexities in today’s security environment. Using paradox theory and polarity management provides a fresh perspective and demonstrates an adaptive change in viewing and managing complex security conditions.”
In the abstract, Roy discusses today’s interconnected and complex security environment, which describes the requirement that individuals and organizations anticipate and adapt to unforeseen and rapidly evolving situations. He describes how, as an organizational change management framework, polarity management differentiates between paradoxes that need to be managed and problems that have solutions and are “tools for better understanding issues and their management than the current US joint force focus that relies almost exclusively on creative thinking and Leading Change-type models in response to complexity.” In his conclusion, Roy cites bad news about paradox theory and polarity management not being taught in today’s military academies and schools and its absence from its literature base for two reasons. First, military educational institutions, specifically staff and war colleges, are themselves unfamiliar with paradox theory and polarity management and unprepared to start instruction. Second, any inclination to teach these concepts is quickly frustrated by a cultural intellectual preference for logically consistent linear thinking and a pervasive, “stifling infatuation with John Kotter’s Leading Change model.” He calls for meeting the demands of current and future complex security environment by investing significantly greater attention and instruction –
“The demands of current and future complex security environment require the US to invest significantly greater attention and instruction in deliberately teaching paradox theory and polarity management as the conceptual and organizational tools necessary to move the joint force and the greater security profession closer to adopting efficient, dynamic processes capable of prevailing across the full spectrum of complex security challenges facing America.”
This paper has implications for applying polarity thinking training/certification (www.PolarityPartnerships.com) and for research related to Polarities of Democracy (www.Instituteforpod.org).
“PARADOX & POLARITY: TOOLS FOR MANAGING COMPLEXITY” by Tod A. Roy of the Defense Intelligence Agency
