Masterclass on paradox theory with Prof. Wendy K. Smith

📍 Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), room SOC-209 (Akadeemia tee 3)

Masterclass will be held in English.

A 2.5-hour interactive masterclass provides doctoral candidates and supervisors with an overview of paradox theory and practical tools for studying paradoxes using diverse methodological approaches. At the conclusion of the session, participants will also engage with Both/And Thinking as a core meta-competence—namely, the capacity to integrate seemingly opposing values: aligning innovation with efficiency, empathy with accountability, and short-term performance with long-term objectives in order to create sustained impact throughout an academic career.

Wendy K. Smith, PhD, is a Professor of Management at University of Delaware and one of the world’s most widely recognized scholars of strategic and managerial paradoxes—often referred to as the “mother of paradox.” Her research examines how leaders and organizations can navigate and sustain competing demands—such as stability and change, reason and emotion, performance and purpose—without sacrificing either pole.

Her internationally acclaimed book, Both/And Thinking (Harvard Business Review Press, 2022), offers a rigorous, research-based and practical framework for shifting from “either/or” logic to a “both/and” approach.

Professor Smith’s masterclass provides doctoral candidates and supervisors with the opportunity to engage directly with one of the most influential contemporary thinkers in the field of management and organizational scholarship.

Register HERE. The registration is open until April 10, 2026.

With questions about the workshop, please turn to Mari-Klara Stein, mari-klara.stein@taltech.ee.

Estonian Doctoral School for Social Sciences, TalTech, School of Business and Governance, in collaboration with PARE (Estonian HR Association)