Abstract: Industrial symbiosis (IS) is becoming a prominent inter-organizational approach forimproved resources utilization and reduced emissions. IS literature and developmentefforts focus on interventions needed to overcome or eliminate various barriers, butpay inadequate attention to paradoxes that cannot be suppressed over time andrequire management. This study combines literature on paradox theory and IS, explor-ing the identification and management of paradoxical tensions in eight case studies.The results show that IS relationships trigger paradoxical tensions at the strategicand operational levels, surfaced within and between the organizations. These tensionsseem to emerge from, and connected to, the persistence of a cooperation–competitionparadox within organizations, when engaging with IS partners contradicts with anorganization’s competitiveness on the market. The study also provides insights intoparadoxical tension management within and between organizations in IS relationshipsby, for example, shifting partner expectations in favor of IS development, separatingresponsibilities for IS and core activities between departments, or addressing divergingobjectives between partners over time. Both at organizational and inter-organizationallevels open dialogue, transparency, and collaboration appear to play key roles in ten-sion management. The study emphasizes the pivotal role of active paradoxical tensionmanagement—both internally at strategic and operational levels and externally withpartners and facilitators
Alosi, A., Katana, K., Annunziata, E., Mirata, M., Rizzi, F., & Frey, M. (2025). Management of paradoxical tensions in industrial symbiosis: An exploration at the inter‐organizational level. Journal of Industrial Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13625
