This study examines a number of specific paradoxical situations found in participative organizations and compares them to the paradoxes found in select Zen stories or koans. Each set of stories or examples focuses on one or more aspects of empowerment. A narrative analysis of the juxtaposed organizational and Zen stories reveals counterintuitive ideas on how to understand and cope with organizational double binds. Some of the implications of this analysis include the following: (a) organizational paradoxes cannot be controlled by management in a rational and/or manipulative sense; (b) employee responses to empowerment dilemmas are often marked by inaction and exasperation; and (c) reframing strategies may help members to cope with organizational double binds.
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