This article explores how organizations can understand and cope with paradoxes arising from hybrid project portfolio management (PPM), which combines agile and traditional approaches. It addresses the lack of knowledge on managing the inherent contradictions in hybrid PPM environments.
A multiple case study was conducted across four large organizations with hybrid PPM setups. Data was collected through 15 interviews and 12 organizational documents. The analysis followed a three-order structure: identifying thinking elements, developing themes across organizational levels and theorizing paradoxes using paradox theory and multilevel thinking.
The study identifies three core paradoxes in hybrid PPM: (1) the paradox of attention – balancing centralized control with decentralized agility; (2) the paradox of organizing – managing autonomy versus control and (3) the paradox of knowledge management – reconciling formal efficiency metrics with informal, value-driven practices. The article proposes four strategies to address these paradoxes, highlighting the constructive use of paradoxes as the most promising approach.
Findings are based on four Northern European organizations; results may differ in other cultural or organizational contexts.
The paradox triangle can be used by practitioners to diagnose and address tensions in hybrid PPM, fostering organizational learning and development.
Our findings encourage organizations to avoid methodological tribalism and instead adopt pluralistic approaches to managing change and innovation. This can strengthen cooperation, adaptability, and responsible governance across diverse stakeholder groups.
This study contributes a novel multilevel model – the paradox triangle – that visualizes tensions in hybrid PPM. It advances literature by moving beyond the traditional versus agile dichotomy and offering practical strategies for navigating hybrid complexity.
