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In this commentary on three articles from dozens of paradox theory scholars on paradox approaches to examining the COVID-19 pandemic and how the COVID-19 pandemic informs paradox theory, the authors involved in coordinating the collection of three papers discuss the process of bringing together scholars from around the world to discuss the pandemic. Four other preeminent paradox theorists offer additional commentaries on the papers in this Collection.

In this article, we present seven short essays that focus on various aspects of the lived experience during the pandemic crisis through a paradox theoretical lens, providing new insights on the pandemic while also using the pandemic experience to push the boundaries of paradox theory. Bednarek and Lê discuss how the boundary between work and life has become blurred yet our sense of them opposed has peaked. To them, the pandemic invites us to expand our understanding of the concept of balance central to paradox theory. The next three essays focus on how managers shape individuals’ experience with tensions during the pandemic. Sparr discusses how leaders have been tasked to provide a clear vision to their employees while themselves immersed in fog, thereby creating tensions that are difficult for both leaders and employees to manage. Nielsen, Cheal and Pradies discuss how leaders can communicate to followers during the pandemic in a way that resonates cognitively and emotionally with them. Keegan and colleagues discuss how latent tensions between profits and health have surfaced during the pandemic, requiring human resources managers to create innovative solutions under constraint. Miron-Spektor unpacks how a paradox approach enables us to understand the ways in which employees can respond to tensions stemming from the pandemic. In particular, she stresses how a paradox mindset is even more critical during crises than during normal times. Finally, the essays by Gaim & Cunha and by Pouthier & Vince provide us with warnings. Gaim and Cunha discuss how because of power dynamics between management and labour, we must be careful about the dark side of a paradox approach. Pouthier & Vince remind us that the tensions employees experience during the pandemic is quintessentially an emotional experience and should be examined as such.

The COVID-19 pandemic has fostered uncertainty and several unforeseen consequences. It has revealed many tensions at individual, organizational, and societal levels, such as in work-life balance, organizational innovation for today and tomorrow, and addressing public health while sustaining economic activity. As paradox scholars, we not only lived these tensions in our daily lives, but we were also inspired to engage the paradox research community in better understanding these tensions. This PDW is to showcase our efforts over the last several months, which resulted in a collection of four papers in the Journal of Management Inquiry, scheduled to be in print in April 2021. Over 40 scholars contributed to short essays organized across the four papers, which included papers on societal tensions, organizational tensions, tensions for individuals within organizations, and a commentary on our overall process. We use this collective achievement as a springboard for further efforts in developing paradox theory and theories on crises more broadly.