More than just a special case: The value of double bind theory for bringing light into the dark side of organizational paradoxes

• Published in: Scandinavian journal of management 2022-06, Vol.38 (2), p.101198, Article 101198
• Main Author: Julmi, Christian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Critical management; Double bind theory; Doublethink; Organizational paradoxes; Power
• ISSN: 0956-5221; 1873-3387
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scaman.2022.101198

In their recently published article, Berti and Simpson introduced a comprehensive framework for the systematic analysis of the dark side of organizational paradoxes. While I follow the authors in connecting the analysis of this dark side to types of organizational power, I am concerned with the narrow view on double binds as an expression of coercions only. This narrow view not only runs counter to the basic idea of double bind theory, but also neglects or even denies transition dynamics between different types of organizational double binds. To address these issues, I develop an alternative framework for the analysis of the dark side of organizational power that considers double binds in a broader and more fruitful way. This framework not only facilitates the analysis of transition dynamics between types of double binds, but also reveals practical strategies for mitigating paradoxes and disentangling them from implicit structures that are in the blind spot of Berti and Simpson's framework. •Double binds are key to understand the dark side of organizational paradoxes.•The article develops a framework that facilitates the analysis of transitions between types of double binds.•The framework reveals strategies for mitigating paradoxes and disentangling them from implicit structures.