Paradoxical Thinking as a Driver of Innovation

Paradoxical thinking invites us to embrace and combine apparent opposites into new insights, rather than choosing a single extreme (Lewis & Goldin 2015). By challenging participants not to choose between efficiency or empathy but to pursue both, a meaningful peer-learning atmosphere emerged: sales professionals shared concrete examples of how they balance AI with humanity.

1. The Productivity Paradox: Time Savings and Workload

AI promises time savings through automated prospecting, lead scoring, and reporting, but can increase workload as expectations and tasks multiply (Brynjolfsson & McAfee 2014). By setting clear boundaries with realistic KPIs and joint review sessions, teams can temper the productivity paradox and enhance job satisfaction.

2. Individual versus Organizational: Freedom and Control

Salespeople quickly discover convenient AI tools; organizations require governance, compliance, and data security (Mikalef et al. 2020). A paradoxical approach enables organizations to provide experimental space within clear policy frameworks, strengthening both innovation capacity and consistency.

3. Reach versus Value Creation: More Prospects and Deeper Relationships

AI increases the number of contact moments with prospects, but true customer value arises in personal follow-up and trust (Smith & Sprachman 2019). By refining segmentation criteria and defining measurable value metrics (e.g., Net Promoter Score), sales teams achieve both quantitative growth and qualitative customer satisfaction.

4. Preparation versus Authenticity: Data-Driven and Spontaneous

Data analysis and AI-supported scripts improve preparation for client conversations, but can make them feel artificial (Ransbotham et al. 2017). Paradoxical thinking encourages sales professionals to leverage AI-driven insights without losing their authentic voice, resulting in conversations that are both well-supported and genuinely human.

AI Makes Us More Human

By delegating routine tasks to AI, space is created for what distinguishes us: empathy, creativity, and judgment (Brynjolfsson & McAfee 2014). The real gain lies in combining digital intelligence with human connection, with AI serving as a catalyst for deeper customer relationships and innovation.

The Sales Professional of 2030

The future belongs to those who neither avoid AI nor rely on it blindly, but use it as an intelligent instrument to amplify fundamentally human talents. Only then can we create sustainable growth and meaningful customer relationships.

Bibliography

  • Brynjolfsson, Erik, and Andrew McAfee. The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2014.
  • Lewis, Michael, and Ian Goldin. “Paradoxical Leadership and Innovation.” Journal of Business Strategy 36, no. 2 (2015): 34–42.
  • Mikalef, Patrick, Dimitrios Krogstie, Stephan Pappas, and Ole K. A. Mentz. “Investigating the Effects of Big Data Analytics Capabilities on Firm Performance: The Mediating Role of Dynamic Capabilities.” Information & Management 57, no. 2 (2020): 103–247.
  • Ransbotham, Sam, David Kiron, Philipp Gerbert, and Martin Reeves. Reshaping Business with Artificial Intelligence: Closing the Gap between Ambition and Execution. Boston: MIT Sloan Management Review, 2017.
  • Smith, Brian, and Michael Sprachman. “Human–AI Collaboration in Decision-Making.” Organizational Dynamics 48, no. 3 (2019): 100–109.

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