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Polarities

Polarities and Polarity Management
Polarity can be defined as: “the presence of two opposite or contrasting principles”. (Dictionary.com) Often times businesses find themselves seeking a resolution for problem where another surfaces. These types of situations are known as polarities. A polarity is an issue that a company faces where this no independent solution. Polarity management has been around since early 1975 and continues to be a challenge to companies today. (Caldwell, 2012) Polarities are ongoing issues with no final resolution and therefore must be managed regularly. Studies have shown companies with successful polarity management strategies maintain a stronger bottom line. (Johnson, PG 5).
The Polarity Map
In today’s business environment an ongoing polarity stems from the push toward a team environment. The marketplace stimulation has surfaced the polarity of Individual vs. Team in a hands on manor to help educate us on polarity management. Below is a polarity map that shows the strengths and weaknesses of Pegas
They dynamic of the polarity for individual vs. team is one many companies face every day. In many cases a team environment can help produce better results. Teams have the ability to utilize the strengths of each individual member in order to develop the best possible strategy. The Pegasus team has had the fortunate strength of having 1 team member from the background of each of the areas of importance. By dividing up the responsibilities and giving feedback on decisions we each are able to learn from one another while offering insight into our area of specialty. On the other hand working on the simulation individually provides the experience of studying areas you may not otherwise have the experience doing. Additionally with the time constraints most business professionals have these days working individually allows the flexibility of working around only your own schedule. The negative aspects of individual vs. team also affect the polarity. By having a responsibility to the group time lines are crucial. If one team member cannot log in until Friday and another team member needs them to do their work before starting theirs then a delay occurs. Being dependant on someone else’s schedule can often pose a great challenge. Since business has a broad spectrum of areas of specialty we can’t all be experts in all areas so working individually poses the challenge of making poor decisions based on a lack of knowledge.
Applying Polarity Management to your top Management Team Managing the polarity between individual vs. team will take a strategic approach. First it is necessary to analyze each team member’s background. Once the team member’s background is determine assigning members to their areas of strength will be the ideal approach. In order to optimize the individual aspect and gain from the benefits it will be important to ensure team members are given necessary time to complete their work as well as time to receive feedback. Having a solid understanding of the personality chrematistics of the group members will help to effectively manage the polarity. There are great benefits in having team members provide feedback on how they feel the group is working. Is each member pulling their weight, what could be different, ect? This feedback could be crucial in monitoring the polarity and ensuring a successful bottom line. Proper use of polarity management can be very advantageous to the company. By working in a team environment individuals will gain insight and understanding into several aspects of the business. By gaining this understand each member is better equipped to offer feedback in the decision making process. For example the if production department has better understanding of the marketing departments need for funding they can look at their processes and possibly find a cheaper more efficient way of production in order to open up funding to the marketing department. By doing this the company may increase sales due to additional marketing without increasing spending. Another advantage would be capitalizing on the opposition of ideas. When an idea is presented individuals on the team can challenge the idea and provide insight based on how the idea may affect their department or area of specialty. By challenging ideas the team has a better ability to make more solid, effective decisions. Ultimately a great strength lies in the ability to manage the polarity by saving time and efforts in attempting to solve unsolvable problems. (Polarity Management Associates, 2012)

Works Cited

Caldwell, Mike (2012). Polarity Management, Retrieved from: http://www.insiderreports.com/storypage.asp?StoryID=20018751

Johnson, Barry (September, 1998). Polarity Management, Retrieve from: http://westonatwood.com/uploads/2/8/4/4/2844368/polarity_management_-_summary.pdf

Dictionary.com (2012). Definition of Polarity, Retrieved May 12, 2012 from: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/polarity?s=t

Polarity Management Associates (2012). Background to Polarity Management, Retrieved from: http://www.gangesconsulting.com/polarity_management.html

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