Rethinking decision-making to become a better leader
Lindner dean speaks on ‘strategic paradoxes’ in new joint interview
Carl H. Lindner College of Business dean Marianne Lewis has long been a thought leader in ‘strategic paradoxes,’ or a deliberate shift away from zero-sum compromises in decision making.
U.S. News & World Report recently spoke to dean Lewis and University of Delaware Lerner College of Business and Economics professor Wendy Smith to explore their latest insights on creative thinking.
The two co-authored the book, “Both/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions to Solve Your Toughest Problems.” Published in 2022, it looks at how embracing competing demands can enable more creative, lasting solutions in both business and everyday life.
In the article, Lewis and Smith applied their findings from the book to university leadership. They explained that higher education leaders face increasing levels of tension amid uncertainty and broad legal changes.
“One of the most persistent tensions for higher education leaders swirls around the pull between academic purpose and financial survival,” Lewis and Smith said. “That either/or framing forces impossible trade-offs and leaves higher education leaders feeling like every decision betrays something they care about.”
Lewis is also a professor of management at Lindner.
Lewis said that the interview held personal significance for her as it tied her own experience within higher education with her research on strategic decision making.
“This interview was important to me as my research and writing on paradox has increasingly turned to the tensions confronting higher education,” Lewis said. “Much is being written on their challenges but far less on their successful navigation. That is where I’m putting my energy. As I’ve long found in business and leadership, such tensions hold enormous opportunities for innovation and change.”
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Featured image at top of Lindner dean Marianne Lewis with her book. Photo/Gavin Vargas
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