Generative Tension

topic

Generative tension is the creative use of productive contradiction — deliberately holding two apparently incompatible requirements, values, or frameworks in simultaneous tension rather than resolving the tension by eliminating one side, using the discomfort of the unresolved contradiction as the generative pressure that forces the creative synthesis that can satisfy both simultaneously. F. Scott Fitzgerald's definition of first-rate intelligence as the ability to hold two opposed ideas simultaneously while retaining the ability to function describes the cognitive disposition that generative tension cultivates.

Role

Generative tension is the creative approach most specifically suited to the wicked problems that resist simple solution — problems in which the most obvious resolutions sacrifice something essential, and in which the genuine creative breakthrough requires holding the tension between apparently incompatible requirements long enough to discover the synthesis that satisfies both. Most organizations and most individuals resolve tensions by choosing one side over the other — accepting the compromise — when the most creative option is to maintain the tension until the innovative synthesis emerges that makes the compromise unnecessary. This requires the psychological comfort with ambiguity and the cognitive stamina to resist premature resolution that creative maturity develops.

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