Going Circular in a Linear Business Context: Squaring the Circle?

In this paper, we explore tensions that organizations may encounter when transitioning from linear to circular modes of operation. We adopt a paradox perspective to gain insights into these tensions, and to investigate how project members respond to them. We conducted a multiple case study involving five circular economy change initiatives in a multinational life sciences organization. Our findings indicate that circular economy change initiatives create three kinds of paradoxical tensions: the paradox of organizing, the paradox of scale, and the paradox of responsibility. Moreover, we uncover several ways in which project members deal with these paradoxical tensions. Initially, project members tried to integrate linear and circular demands by engaging in learning and aligning efforts. If unsuccessful, project members would focus on one-sided approaches by (a) questioning the paradox, (b) avoiding the paradox, (c) sacrificing circular product features, or (d) prioritizing linearity more broadly. We contribute with this paper to the literature on paradoxes in circular economy transitions and their responses and develop a theoretical framework as a potential starting point for future research.