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Leaders manage dilemmas

Alex Lowy (Alex Lowy, along with Phil Hood recently formed The Transcend Strategy Group consultancy to promote strategic decision‐making methods as presented in their book The Power of the 2×2 Matrix: Using 2×2 Thinking to Solve Dilemmas and Make Better Decisions (Jossey‐Bass, 2004))
Phil Hood (Phil Hood, along with Alex Lowy recently formed The Transcend Strategy Group consultancy to promote strategic decision‐making methods as presented in their book The Power of the 2×2 Matrix: Using 2×2 Thinking to Solve Dilemmas and Make Better Decisions (Jossey‐Bass, 2004) (phood@transcendstrategy.com))

Strategy & Leadership

ISSN: 1087-8572

Article publication date: 1 June 2004

3053

Abstract

The authors suggest a new approach to strategic decision‐making methodology: focus on understanding the dilemmas confronting your organization. For leaders, the learning produced from wrestling with dilemmas is often more important than answers to them. Big challenges tend to be complex, ongoing in nature, and highly resistant to simple “fixes”. Therefore, before the leader can provide the strategic direction to guide organizational efforts, he/she must first recognize, define and deal with the prime dilemmas of the day. Dilemmas fall into two categories: direction‐setting, and culture‐setting. Several examples of each are presented as well as three action steps: recognition, definition, and translation.

Keywords

Citation

Lowy, A. and Hood, P. (2004), "Leaders manage dilemmas", Strategy & Leadership, Vol. 32 No. 3, pp. 21-26. https://doi.org/10.1108/10878570410535736

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2004, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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