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The Power of Both/And

Writer's picture: Dr. Cindy PetersenDr. Cindy Petersen

“Let me make a general observation– the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.” ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald


Last week as I wrote about Autonomy and Guardrails it got me thinking about integrative thinking and the power of both/and. In his book The Opposable Mind, Roger Martin defines integrative thinking as: “The ability to ace constructively the tension of opposing ideas and, instead of choosing one at the expense of the other, generate a creative resolution of the tension in the form of a new idea that contains elements of the opposing ideas but is superior to each.”


For example, as we discussed in the last blog, you can have both autonomy and accountability - there is a tension in the two ideas but a solution with elements of both is a superior solution.

Autonomy and Guardrails

Integrative thinking moves beyond trade-offs.They take a broad view and welcome complexity in considering what is salient. Integrative thinkers look beyond the simple to consider multi-directional and nonlinear causal relationships when exploring solutions.They keep their focus on the entire problem even as they are working with individual parts. According to Martin, “the integrative thinker will always search for creative resolution of tensions, rather than accept unpleasant trade-offs.” At its core, integrative thinking is about creating new ideas and a sense of endless possibility.


Integrative thinking is a skill utilized by many successful leaders and is something leaders can learn. And yet, it’s not a topic of most leadership development programs. One key way to enhance your integrative thinking capacity is through experience. “Experiences can deepen master and nurture originality.”


Reflection on your experiences, tools and stance can guide you to think about how you think and maximize your learning.

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