Escaping the Double Bind Syndrome When Facing Contradictory Logics of Actions in Tourist Offices

Abstract

Double bind syndrome is more and more experienced in the field of management, due to the differences between logics of actions at governance and management levels (Bateson, 1960). In particular, working through the double bind syndrome requires at first to check out the lay of the land of the dysfunctions resulting from such conflicts prior to proposing a course of actions that management consultants might facilitate in organizations. The aim of this paper is to highlight deficiencies resulting from the mixed practice of political leadership and expert leadership in the field of public management, through the perception of a sample of directors of tourist offices, on their leadership practice and their relations with their elected officials. We argue that new insights combined with consulting management can help managers maximize efficiency and improve processes in public organizations.