With Head and Heart: How Emotions Shape Paradox Navigation in Veterinary Work

Abstract

Emotions are part of everyday life, and paradox scholars have long acknowledged that navigating paradox, i.e., opposite, interrelated, and enduring tensions, is inherently emotional. Yet, how such emotions shape the ways in which individuals navigate paradoxes remains unclear. Drawing on an in-depth qualitative study of 63 veterinarians facing the business-care paradox, I develop an emotionally informed model of how individuals navigate paradox at work. I find that emotions: (a) make paradox salient by surfacing a personal connection to paradoxical tensions; (b) trigger flexible emotional labor while responding to paradox; and (c) leave emotional traces that foster ongoing learning. In so doing, I surface how emotions shape the way paradoxes are recognized and experienced. My model invites paradox scholars to consider the centrality of emotions in paradox navigation, thus moving beyond emotions as something to be avoided and instead embracing their generative potential. Foregrounding emotions offers rich theoretical opportunities for future work.