Circling the Archetype: Tensions Limiting the Transformation to a Circular Economy

ABSTRACT

This research examines key tensions and the archetypal paradox that prevent the transformation to a circular economy (

) across individual, organizational, and systems levels, problematizing assumptions. Tension manifestations are analyzed using a qualitative case study across eight diverse industries and geographies. Findings show that challenges in operations are manifestations of tension, traceable to one key tension per level, paradoxically rooted in s archetypal paradox, created by the entanglement of tensions: the growth imperative versus resource preservation. This study advances theory and practice by exploring the relationship between paradox and tensions in and demonstrating how manifestations can be empirically traced. Instead of treating tensions as problems to be solved as in the extant literature, we acknowledge that tensions are constitutive of the system. We argue that is a systemic transformation challenge, shifting focus from managing tensions within firms to addressing them across organizations and systems.