The lovely thing about the Sorites paradox is that it tells a story that helps disagreements make sense ~ A group of people is likely to contain a variety of viewpoints. There is a fair chance that some will be in contradiction. The big question is whether these contradictions can be helpful.
Let’s assume people have become a group to sort out a problem, even if one contradiction might be that they do not agree exactly what the problem is.
The group can deal with contradictory viewpoints in various ways ~
A Polarised Position – where two or more group members with differing viewpoints behave as though their viewpoint is most compelling and compete for supremacy.
A Paradoxical Position – where contradictory viewpoints are accepted as a paradox by a group, who will then puzzle together as to how best achieve resolution.
Of course, it is also an option not to acknowledge contradictions at all ~ they could be Passed Over for a variety of reasons:
• Group members might be so keen to fit in that they will only display behaviours and thoughts that they imagine will be acceptable to the group. This has been called ‘groupthink’.
• Membership of the group might presuppose a common viewpoint and be exclusive of differing views.
The leadership task is to steer between these positions and set a course that maximises progress toward resolution of the group’s problem.
There are strengths and vulnerabilities associated with each of these positions:
A supreme group member in the Polarised Position might be experienced as charismatic and inspiring or as autocratic and repressive.
The Paradoxical Position might be experienced as inclusive and enabling, or creating a chaotic talking shop where nothing is ever decided.
The Passed Over Position provides an uncluttered environment for decision-making but also the space for miscommunication or even dysfunction that could be experienced as sabotage.
Simone Weil (1970) famously stated, “When a contradiction is impossible to resolve except by a lie, then we know that it is really a door”. This inspires courageous re-examination of the ways we listen, talk and think together to arrive in different and creative territory. Leadership is all about operationalising this statement rather than going mad!!
Success in this enterprise is very much tied up with the ways in which people talk and think together. My research examines discourse in complex collaborative networks. I believe it is possible to improve the chances of a good outcome through observation and understanding of the ways that organisations talk to themselves and each other. More on this in my next posting….
References
Weil, S. 1970 First and Last Notebooks trans Rees, R. London OUP