Agenda

Questo evento fa parte delle VSM Lectures, una serie di seminari tenuti da accademici illustri, provenienti da prestigiose università e istituzioni internazionali. I relatori e le relatrici presentano i loro recenti studi, condividono i principali risultati e approfondiscono l'impatto loro lavoro di ricerche che la società e le imprese stanno affrontando.

Paradoxical by Calling: Unifying Cognition and Actions to Manage a Paradoxical Dual Mission

A cura di Simone Carmine,  Assistant Professor of Strategic Management, IÉSEG School of Management Visiting Professor presso Venice School of Management e affiliato al Yunus Social Business Centre - Ca’ Foscari University of Venice

L'evento sarà trasmesso anche online:  link

Abstract:

This study explores how mature hybrid organizations, which pursue a dual mission involvingdivergent yet interdependent goals, manage and sustain this paradoxical mission over time. Using Benedictine monasteries as a case study, the research adopts a grounded theory approach to investigate how these long-lasting organizations balance their spiritual and economic objectives. The Rule of Saint Benedict, which dictates an ideal equilibrium between prayer and work, serves as an institutionalized norm, while it generates inherent tensions. The findings reveal a model consisting of three processes through which mature hybrid organizations embed and sustain their paradoxical dual mission. First, the paradox is embraced as a top-down norm, creating a structured separation of goals and roles. Second, members engage in continuous cognitive efforts to personally embed the paradox into their daily activities, facilitated by a long-term learning process and individual reflections. Third, organizational practices promote the collective sharing of the paradox, supported by leadership and community mechanisms that safeguard both poles of the paradox. This integration of individual cognitive efforts and collective organizational mechanisms
ensures a state of “paradoxical unity”, where both individual members and the organization harmonize the dual mission. The study contributes to the literature on hybrid organizations and paradox theory by highlighting the importance of integrating both cognitive and organizational mechanisms in managing and sustaining paradoxical goals in mature hybrids.