Distinguish a genuine either/or problem from a both/and polarity that requires ongoing management.
Leadership & Management
Polarity Management for Recurring Leadership Dilemmas
Teaches leaders to use Barry Johnson's polarity mapping method to manage ongoing tensions such as centralisation versus autonomy, instead of treating them as one-off problems with a final solution.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
Some leadership tensions, such as centralisation against autonomy or short-term results against long-term investment, are not problems to be solved once and closed; they are polarities that must be managed continuously, and treating them as solvable problems produces a pendulum that swings from one costly extreme to the other. This course applies Barry Johnson's polarity mapping method, starting with the distinction between a genuine either/or problem with a correct answer and a both/and polarity that requires ongoing attention to both poles. Participants build a polarity map for a live organisational tension, identifying the genuine upside of each pole, the specific downside that appears when either pole is over-emphasised, and the early warning signs that show movement has gone too far in one direction. The course also covers the greater purpose statement and deeper fear that sit at the top and bottom of a polarity map, and the action steps and measures needed to recapture the upside of a neglected pole without abandoning the one currently in favour. Participants leave able to facilitate a polarity mapping session on a real dilemma their organisation keeps revisiting.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Identify recurring organisational polarities such as autonomy and control or innovation and efficiency.
Build a polarity map showing the upside and downside of over-focusing on each pole.
Write a greater purpose statement and deeper fear that frame why a polarity matters to the organisation.
Set early warning indicators that signal movement has gone too far towards one pole.
Design action steps that recapture a neglected pole's upside without abandoning the current one.
Facilitate a polarity mapping workshop on a live leadership dilemma with a team or leadership group.
Who Should Attend
Senior leaders facing recurring, unresolved tensions across the organisation.
Change and transformation leads managing centralisation or restructuring debates.
Team leaders balancing individual autonomy against team-wide consistency.
Organisational development practitioners facilitating strategy or culture workshops.
Executives managing the tension between short-term results and long-term investment.
Consultants introducing structured tension-management tools to client leadership teams.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Distinguishing Problems from Polarities
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Either/Or Problems Versus Both/And Polarities
- Test whether a dilemma has a single correct answer or two interdependent poles needing both.
- Identify the symptom of a mismanaged polarity: solving it repeatedly without it staying solved.
- Explain why applying a one-off project plan to a genuine polarity produces recurring frustration.
- Reframe a stated problem as a polarity when evidence shows both poles have genuine value.
Session 2Identifying Recurring Polarities in Leadership Practice
- Catalogue common organisational polarities, including centralisation and autonomy, cost and quality.
- Trace an organisation's history of swinging between two poles without settling on either.
- Distinguish a polarity from a values conflict that requires a different resolution approach.
- Prioritise which live polarity is causing the most cost or friction right now.
02Building and Reading a Polarity Map
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Mapping the Upsides and Downsides of Each Pole
- Document the genuine upside that each pole contributes when it is receiving adequate attention.
- Document the specific downside that appears once a pole is pursued to the neglect of the other.
- Use precise language for each quadrant so the map reflects the organisation's own experience.
- Check the map for balance so neither pole is quietly framed as objectively superior.
Session 2Writing the Greater Purpose Statement and Deeper Fear
- Write a greater purpose statement that explains why both poles matter to the organisation's mission.
- Articulate the deeper fear that would materialise if the polarity were permanently mismanaged.
- Use the greater purpose statement to keep discussion from collapsing into an either/or debate.
- Reference the deeper fear when momentum builds to abandon one pole entirely.
03Managing Movement Between the Poles
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Setting Early Warning Signs and Action Steps
- Define measurable early warning indicators for drifting too far towards either pole.
- Assign specific action steps that pull the organisation back towards the neglected pole's upside.
- Set a review cadence to check indicators before a downside becomes an entrenched crisis.
- Assign a named owner to monitor each early warning indicator over time.
Session 2Avoiding Pendulum Swings and Over-Rotation
- Recognise the pendulum pattern where a fix for one downside triggers the opposite downside later.
- Slow a reactive swing by referring back to the polarity map rather than the most recent complaint.
- Communicate to stakeholders that the goal is ongoing balance, not a final, permanent resolution.
- Distinguish a legitimate correction from an over-rotation driven by short-term political pressure.
04Embedding Polarity Thinking in the Organisation
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Facilitating a Polarity Mapping Workshop
- Facilitate a workshop that builds a shared polarity map for a live, contested organisational tension.
- Manage participants who insist the dilemma is a one-off problem rather than an ongoing polarity.
- Convert workshop output into a one-page map the team can reference during future disagreements.
- Close the workshop with agreed action steps and named owners for each pole's early warnings.
Session 2Assigning Ownership and Tracking Metrics Over Time
- Assign a polarity champion responsible for watching indicators across both poles continuously.
- Track a small set of metrics for each pole rather than a single combined measure that hides drift.
- Revisit the polarity map at fixed intervals to confirm it still reflects the organisation's reality.
- Retire or merge a polarity map once the underlying tension is no longer materially relevant.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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