Pradies, CamilleCamillePradiesAust, InaInaAustBednarek, RebeccaRebeccaBednarekKeegan, Anne E.Anne E.Keeganet al.2021-01-212021-01-212021 the A2021-04-01Journal of Management Inquiry1056-4926http://hdl.handle.net/10197/11858Organizational life has always been filled with tensions, but the COVID-19 pandemic is amplifying this experience in fundamental ways. Across the globe, employees have had to quickly adjust to working from home, striving to remain productive while adapting to new technologies and work-practices (Lanzolla, Lorenz, Miron-Spektor, Schilling, Solinas & Tucci, 2020). Essential employees, such as medical personnel, have been grappling with the desire to deliver care to those with need without risking themselves (Kniffin et al., 2020). Leaders have been balancing optimism with realism and finding ways to engender psychological proximity despite managing their followers from afar (Gibson, 2020). These interconnected tensions have been accentuated not just within domains (e.g., work), but also across domains (Ladge, Clair & Greenber, 2012). Working parents, for example, have been renegotiating boundaries as they pursue their work goals while home-schooling their children and caring for their elderly relatives (Power, 2020).enPradies C, Aust I, Bednarek R, et al. The Lived Experience of Paradox: How Individuals Navigate Tensions during the Pandemic Crisis. Journal of Management Inquiry. 2021;30(2):154-167. Copyright © 2021 the Authors. Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications.COVID-19CoronavirusWorking from homeWork-life balanceLeadershipHuman resource managementTensionsContradictory demandsJournal Article30215416710.1177/10564926209868742021-01-11https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ie/