Op-Ed: Adopt a ‘both/and’ approach to create policies that sustain over time

Lindner Dean Marianne Lewis proposes way for bridging societal division

The Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that overturned a half-century of abortion rights has sparked intense and opposing emotions. Lindner College of Business Dean and Professor of Management Marianne Lewis, PhD, explored this issue in a recent editorial for MarketWatch.

"We find ourselves, yet again, in a polarized political fight with the battlegrounds in Congress, in the boardrooms, on the streets, on social media and, for some of us, at our kitchen tables.” 

Lewis' research and forthcoming book, “Both/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions to Solve Your Toughest Problems,” explore how organizations can transform tensions into opportunities for innovation and personal growth.

composed graphic of two women's headshots side-by-side with an image of their book cover in the middle

Smith, left, and Lindner Dean Marianne Lewis coauthored "Both/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions to Solve Your Toughest Problems."

Lewis and coauthor Wendy Smith, PhD, Dana J. Johnson Professor of Management at the University of Delaware Lerner College of Business and Economics, "have spent the last 25 years studying how people face such complex and tenuous issues. Our research shows that when decisionmakers engage opposing positions and adopt what we call both/and thinking, they generate more sustainable and creative solutions.”

Read more from MarketWatch.

Impact Lives Here

The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.

Related Stories

1

CCM welcomes new violin faculty member Danbi Um

April 29, 2026

UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Pete Jutras has announced the appointment of Danbi Um as CCM's new Assistant Professor of Violin. Her faculty appointment officially begins in August 2026. Praised by The Strad as an “utterly dazzling” artist, with “a marvelous show of superb technique” and “mesmerizing grace” (New York Classical Review), Um captivates audiences with her virtuosity, individual sound and interpretive sensitivity.

3

CCM welcomes new piano faculty member Liza Stepanova

April 28, 2026

UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Pete Jutras has announced the appointment of Liza Stepanova, DMA, as CCM's new Associate Professor of Piano. Her faculty appointment officially begins on Aug. 15, 2026. Praised by The New York Times for her "thoughtful musicality" and "fleet-fingered panache," Stepanova is in demand as a soloist, collaborator and educator.