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Traditional depiction associated with Laozi
Leadership Discourse · Scholar Profile

Daodejing — Yin & Yang

Laozi · Traditional attribution · c. 4th century BCE

Opposites do not merely compete; they arise through relationship.

I

The Scholar

Laozi is the traditional name associated with the Daodejing. Modern scholarship treats both authorship and composition as historically layered and debated, so this page presents Laozi as a traditional attribution rather than a verified individual author.

II

The Idea in Context

The Daodejing offers an ancient relational account of apparent opposites: being and non-being, difficult and easy, long and short. This is a philosophical root of both/and thinking, not a modern organization theory and not evidence of a direct historical line into contemporary management scholarship.

III

The Enduring Contribution

The big ideaTension can be generative because each pole becomes intelligible—and useful—through the other.
IV

Landmark Works

c. 4th century BCE

Daodejing

Contemporary bridge

Yin–Yang balancing in management research

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Open Sky Lineage

This work is mapped within the Paradox lineage: relational roots → organizational tensions → exploration and exploitation → polarity management → structural ambidexterity → formal paradox theory → contemporary both/and practice.

Explore the Both/And module →
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In Practice

Name both poles without making either the villain.
Ask how each pole creates conditions that make the other valuable.
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Reflection

Which opposition in your work is actually a relationship?

What becomes possible when you stop trying to eliminate one pole?

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Sources & Further Reading