(Un) Knotting Paradoxes to Dynamic Disequilibrium: A Process Study of Cross-Units Collaboration.

Multiple paradoxes within cross-unit collaboration intertwine to form paradox knots. However, the process through which these paradoxes are knotted and unknotted, impacting dynamic disequilibrium, remains unclear. This paper conducts a longitudinal case study on the growth of a newly established online unit navigating multiple paradoxes in cross-unit collaboration. Our research reveals how multiple paradoxes transition from latent states to salient conditions, thereby influencing organizational disequilibrium through a cyclical process of knotting and unknotting. We introduce a process model that delineates two sub-processes affecting dynamic disequilibrium. Firstly, organizational-level generative reorganization and transparadoxical metaphor render paradoxes salient, while elastic enactments at the business unit level knot these paradoxes, amplifying disequilibrium. Secondly, this disequilibrium triggers new generative reorganizations that make the paradoxes latent and unknot them, thus returning the organization to a state of orderly disequilibrium. The study contributes to paradox theory by integrating the concepts of latency and salience into paradox knots, offering a cyclical process from knotting to unknotting, and providing insights into the states of dynamic disequilibrium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]