0. Polarity Thinking: For Sustainability of Positive Community Change Efforts
CONTINUITY AND TRANSFORMATION FOR ORGANIZATIONS, TEAMS, AND INDIVIDUALS
POLARITY Partnership Mastery V Student:
Melinda Butsch Kovacic, MPH, PHD
15s
This material is based on work by Barry Johnson and Polarity Partnerships

1. with short-lived fixes?
Do you have a “problem”
with short-lived fixes? 5s

2. Do your problems cycle… over weeks, months, or years?

3. Consider changing your thinking –
use Polarity Thinking to get unstuck! 5s

4. Polarity Thinking considers polarities…
Interdependent pairs of values or points of views
Appear to be unrelated, competitive or opposing.
In reality, need each other over time to achieve outcomes that neither can achieve alone.
Referred to as paradoxes, dilemmas, or tensions.
30s

5. Energy: Connects polarities, ebbs and flows
Represented by an infinity loop
Present regardless of whether or not we recognize it.
20s

6. missed opportunities to leverage
Treating polarities as problems to be solved leads to unintended consequences and
missed opportunities to leverage
the energy of the pair.
15s

7. Let’s say we want to prepare for a marathon...
No Pg.
10s
Let’s say we want to prepare for a marathon...

8. The Marathon Polarity: Either/Or
Training
Rest
and
Muscle Injury
Muscle Atrophy
Focus your actions either pole = failure!
20s

9. The Marathon Polarity – Both/And
Muscles Build
Increased Endurance
Training
Rest
and
Focus your actions on both poles = success!
20s

10. Polarity Thinking: A 5-Step SMALL Process
Polarity Partnerships has developed a 5-Step process to leverage polarities which integrates the Polarity Map™ and the Polarity Approach for Continuity and Transformation (PACT™)
Engage Key Stakeholders S
Seeing M
Mapping A
Assessing L
Learning
60s L
Leveraging

11. HopeFest Health and Education Festival
Offers free health screenings & education for high-risk inner city kids
How could we sustain a quality volunteer-led event over time?
The Health Passport
Screened
Health data collected via paper or electronic Passport
20s
Data/results shared:
-Attendees
-Health Screeners
-Community Stakeholders

12. See and Map Screening Data Collection Greater Purpose*
Sustainable Quality Event **
Coordinated screenings
Easy access to follow-up
Coordinated health data collection
Data shared to facilitate follow-up
Values
The map can be converted to an assessment to collect feedback from stakeholders!
Screening
Data Collection
and
Data collection burdens attendees and screeners
Data collected has limited benefit
Screening success unmeasured
Follow-up care not received/ heath not improved
Fears
30s
Greatest Fear
Fleeting, Poor Quality Event

13. Learn From the Results & Leverage Polarities*
Sustainable Quality Event **
Actions Steps:
Actions Steps:
Coordinated screenings
Easy access to follow-up
Coordinated health data collection
Data shared to facilitate follow-up
Develop volunteer training
Create analysis plan and standard, tailored reports to share
MOUs with screeners
Emphasize need for follow-up care plan
Screening
Data Collection
and
Early Warnings:
Early Warnings:
Data collection burdens attendees and screeners
Data collected has limited benefit
Screening success unmeasured
Follow-up care not received/ heath not improved
Attendees do not complete all screenings
Data collected goes unused
Many data errors
Too few follow-up appointments made/kept
30s
Fleeting, Poor Quality Event

14. Leverage polarities well in order to avoid the downsides of both poles
Sustainable Quality Event
Coordinated screenings
Easy access to follow-up
Coordinated health data collection
Data shared to facilitate follow-up
Screening
Data Collection
Leverage polarities well
in order to
avoid the downsides
of both poles
and
Data collection burdens attendees and screeners
Data collected has limited benefit
Screening success unmeasured
Follow-up care not received/ heath not improved
30s
Fleeting, Poor Quality Event

15. Well leveraged polarities
Sustainable Quality Event
Coordinated screenings
Easy access to follow-up
Coordinated health data collection
Data shared to facilitate follow-up
Screening
Data Collection
Well leveraged polarities
gets you the upsides
of both poles and sustainability!
and
Data collection burdens attendees and screeners
Data collected has limited benefit
Screening success unmeasured
Follow-up care not received/ heath not improved
30s
Fleeting, Poor Quality Event

16. Thank you for your attention!
What “problems” are your community experiencing?
Might they really be polarities to be leveraged?
Visit: to learn more and seek PACT training opportunities
Thank you for your attention!
For more information, talk to myself or other Polarity Mastery V students who are in attendance at Skills Fest:
-Carol Gorelick
-Alexis Kidd
20s

17. Extra slides for questions/answers

18. AND THERE ARE MANY COMMON COMMUNITY-RELEVANT POLARITIES TO CONSIDER!
Stability
Margin
Service
Innovative funding
Organization interest
Collaborate
Lead
Long-term Planning
Take Action
Directive
Either/Or Perspective
Change Mission Empowerment Traditional funding Community interest Lead independently Follow Short-term Planning Plan Participative Both/And Perspective
AND THERE ARE MANY COMMON COMMUNITY-RELEVANT POLARITIES TO CONSIDER!
30s

19. Leveraging Over Time: Stability & Change
Well Managed Polarity
Competitive Advantage
Continuity
Core Values
Tap Past and Present Wisdom
New Energy and Direction
Creativity
Tap New Wisdom
Stability
Change
Stagnation
Loss of Energy
Missed Opportunities
Lose Continuity
Lose Core Values
Foolish Risks
Can’t Compete
Overemphasis on Stability
Overemphasis on Change
Competitive Advantage
Competitive Advantage
Continuity
Core Values
Tap Past and Present Wisdom
New Energy and Direction
Creativity
Tap New Wisdom
Continuity
Core Values
Tap Past and Present Wisdom
New Energy and Direction
Creativity
Tap New Wisdom
Stability
Change
Stability
Change
Stagnation
Loss of Energy
Missed Opportunities
Lose Continuity
Lose Core Values
Foolish Risks
Stagnation
Loss of Energy
Missed Opportunities
Lose Continuity
Lose Core Values
Foolish Risks
Wanted to see how the poles would look on smaller maps. I like them.
Can’t Compete
Can’t Compete

20. Problem or Polarity? – Four Lenses
Is the difficulty ongoing, like breathing?
yes = probably a polarity to manage
no = probably a problem to solve
2. Are there two alternatives that are interdependent, meaning you can only focus on one pole for so long before you are required to focus on the other pole, like inhaling and exhaling?
3. Is it necessary, over time, for you to have both identified upsides?
4. Will focusing on one upside to the neglect of the other eventually undermine your efforts to move toward your higher purpose?
Ask participants to individually complete the Problem or Polarity Quiz (next page in their handouts).
Put this slide up and suggest that participants use these four lenses to determine whether the each statement on the quiz represents a problem or a polarity.
Allow 5 minutes for individuals to complete the quiz.
Then allow another 5 minutes for tables to discuss their responses.

21. Top10 Polarity Realities
1. They are interdependent pairs that need each other over time and energy systems we live in and live in us.
2. Polarities have been important in history and in our lives.
3. Polarities go by different names: such as Paradox, Dilemma, and Tensions.
4. Leaders, teams, and organizations that leverage polarities well outperform those who don’t.
5. Each polarity is an energy system which flows around both poles in the shape of an infinity loop.
6. The polarity energy system is leverage- able. When this is done well, virtuous cycles are created, which leads to:
Increased speed, Attainability of desired results, Sustainability of desired results
7. When a polarity is seen as a problem to solve or one pole is empowered to the neglect of the other, a vicious cycle is created. When you over- focus on one pole, first you get the downside of the pole on which you over-focus, then you get the downside of the other pole as well.
8. All polarities contain two points of view which are absolutely true AND they are a part of a pair of truths that need each other over time. To get “unstuck” seek first to understand the others’ truth and then supplement it with your own.
9. Polarity thinking uses AND to connect the two poles. Problem solving often uses OR. Leveraging Polarities AND Solving Problems is a polarity.
10. Being able to assess how well you are leveraging a polarity or set of polarities is essential to sustaining success.
Jane Kise has identified the following principles in the draft of her book and they are quite similar to what we have so far…we should identify what we think they are and request that Jane use ours…
JANE’S
1. Polarities are energy systems within all interdependencies in life. Where there is independence, polarities are at play.
2. Polarities are not new. They have been a part of our personal lives since our childhood when we learned things like sharing. They’ve been written about in philosophy and religion for centuries, and reaffirmed in research on leadership and organizational effectiveness over the last fifty years.
3. Polarities are interdependent pairs for which AND thinking is required. They show up in literature as polarities, dilemmas, paradoxes, tensions or the “genius of the and.”
4. And thinking is an essential addition to either/or thinking. It is not a replacement for either/or thinking. These two types of thinking are themselves an interdependent pair, a polarity.
5. In an argument over a polarity, both sides are right. A more appropriate phrasing might be that both sides are accurate but incomplete.
6. Polarities are leverageable. We don’t have to accept swinging from one pole to the other but can see, map and transform the energy system, putting to productive use the time and energy each side is expending in trying to “win”, redirecting it toward a mutual greater purpose.
7. Each pole has an upside and a downside. When we acknowledge the downside of our own pole, we are acknowledging the legitimate fears of the other side, thus opening dialogue about the portion of truth each side holds.
8. Polarities are unsolvable. The downside of one pole is often seen as a “problem” with the upside of the other pole as a “solution.” The upside of one pole is not a final solution. It is a natural self-correction in the ongoing oscillation between the two poles. Seeing one upside as a solution leads to it being called a mistake later on. With polarities, neither is a solution. Both are necessary over time.
9. Each pole brings something absolutely essential to the relationship between the two poles. We call this the upsides of the pole. Also, each pole has its own limits which are experienced most profoundly when we focus on that pole to the relative neglect of its pole partner. When we acknowledge the legitimate values and fears of the other side, we open dialogue about the portion of truth each side holds. 
Here’s what we have so far so you can see how close they are!
1.Recognizing that values come in pairs is not new – for you or in history.
2.“AND” is best when differentiating the two poles of a polarity.
3.Problem-solving and polarity leveraging are both critical thinking skills -- and a polarity to leverage.
4.There are two truths in every polarity, both of which are accurate, but neither of which is complete on its own
5.Identifying and leveraging polarities helps you attain desired change, maintain continuity, and support more effective problem solving.
6.When success is tied to both poles of polarities virtuous cycles are created, which leads to:
•Increased speed
•Attainability of desired results
•Sustainability of desired results
7.When a polarity is treated as a problem to solve or when one value pole is over-emphasized to the neglect of its value pair:
·First, there is an experience of being “stuck” in the downsides of the chosen or overemphasized value pole
·Second, there is an increasing loss of the benefits of the upsides of the chosen or over-emphasized value pole
·Third, a vicious cycle results  – the experience of  both downsides
·Fourth, the deepest fear results, which is the worst-case scenario of experiencing both downsides
8. We can make other people and groups “containers” for values and fears we disfavor and similarly become “containers” ourselves for disfavored values and fears of others.
9. A good goal for polarities is “balance” but GREAT leaders, teams, and organizations seek to fully  leverage of polarities and resilience and generative optimization!
10. To promote learning and sustaining success with multiple polarities, measurement matters.

22. Your Strength becomes a Weakness without On-going Integration
Because I value
these positive
results
So I miss out on
these positive
results
Preferred Value
Interdependent
Value
and
And I end
up here
I try hard to avoid
these negative results

23. Map Converted to an Assessment
Give the assessment to important stakeholders to get feedback
The assessment results gage your balance of the polarities

24. Cincinnati, Ohio
Ranks No. 2 for highest child poverty rate out of all major US cities.
Poverty is directly associated with disparities in access to care.
HopeFest could provide free health screenings & education, but how could a high quality event be sustained over time in light of prevalent funding issues?
20s

25. Goal: A Virtuous Cycle or Positive Balance*
Sustainable Quality Event
Coordinated screenings
Easy access to follow-up
Coordinated health data collection
Data shared to facilitate follow-up
Screening
Data Collection
and
Data collection burdens attendees and screeners
Data collected has limited benefit
Screening success goes unmeasured
Attendees do not receive care; event does not improve health
30s
Fleeting, Poor Quality Event

26. Over Focus on One Pole Screening Data Collection*
Sustainable Quality Event
Coordinated screenings
Easy access to follow-up
Coordinated health data collection
Data shared to facilitate follow-up
Screening
Data Collection
and
Data collection burdens attendees and screeners
Data collected has limited benefit
Screening success goes unmeasured
Attendees do not receive care; event does not improve health
30s
Fleeting, Poor Quality Event

27. With Time - A Downswing Screening Data Collection*
Sustainable Quality Event
Coordinated health data collection
Data shared to facilitate follow-up
Coordinated screenings
Easy access to follow-up
Screening
Data Collection
and
Data collection burdens attendees and screeners
Data collected has limited benefit
Screening success goes unmeasured
Attendees do not receive care; event does not improve health
30s
Fleeting, Poor Quality Event

28. …Then A Vicious Cycle Screening Data Collection Coordinated screenings*
Sustainable Quality Event
Coordinated screenings
Easy access to follow-up
Coordinated health data collection
Data shared to facilitate follow-up
Screening
Data Collection
and
Data collection burdens attendees and screeners
Data collected has limited benefit
Screening success goes unmeasured
Attendees do not receive care; event does not improve health
30s
Fleeting, Poor Quality Event

29. Leveraging Over Time: Stability & Change
Well Managed Polarity
Competitive Advantage
Continuity
Core Values
Tap Past and Present Wisdom
New Energy and Direction
Creativity
Tap New Wisdom
Stability
Change
Stagnation
Loss of Energy
Missed Opportunities
Lose Continuity
Lose Core Values
Foolish Risks
Can’t Compete
Overemphasis on Stability
Overemphasis on Change
Competitive Advantage
Competitive Advantage
Continuity
Core Values
Tap Past and Present Wisdom
New Energy and Direction
Creativity
Tap New Wisdom
Continuity
Core Values
Tap Past and Present Wisdom
New Energy and Direction
Creativity
Tap New Wisdom
Stability
Change
Stability
Change
Stagnation
Loss of Energy
Missed Opportunities
Lose Continuity
Lose Core Values
Foolish Risks
Stagnation
Loss of Energy
Missed Opportunities
Lose Continuity
Lose Core Values
Foolish Risks
Wanted to see how the poles would look on smaller maps. I like them.
Can’t Compete
Can’t Compete

30. Sustain your efforts through
ongoing integration
of the pair!
15s