Unlocking the Hidden Power of Paradox: How Organizational Change Reshapes Identity

How do paradoxes within organizations—those persistent tensions between competing demands—reshape not only how people work, but who they believe themselves to be?

Our research uncovers the profound yet often overlooked impact of paradoxes on professionals’ identities and their connection to their organizations. Drawing on a rich 75-month longitudinal case study of a top European public university launching a for-profit business school, we explore how the same organizational paradoxes can have radically different effects on individuals—even within the same institution.

Using an identity threat lens, we reveal a dynamic and deeply human process: how individuals perceive paradoxes, interpret them as identity threats, and navigate the ...