Reconciling Tensions in Security Operations Centers a Paradox Theory Approach

There is pressure on security operations centers (SOCs) from public and private industries as they are coping with the surge of cyberattacks, which is making the reconciliation of inherent organizational tensions a priority. This study surfaces two persistent tensions: (1) expediency versus authority, and (2) adaptability versus consistency that have remained underexplored in cybersecurity literature. We based the research on empirical data collected across three organizational settings, an international consumer packaged goods, a non-departmental public body based in the Netherlands, and a global managed security service provider. Thus, we reveal these not as isolated trade-offs but as paradoxes that must be continuously navigated within SOC operations. Built upon both empirical analysis and Paradox Theory, we develop a conceptual model that explains how SOCs reconcile these tensions through the strategic integration of artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and human expertise. Our model emphases that AI and automation do not replace human analysts; rather, they allow a new form of organizational balance, through mechanisms such as Dynamic Equilibrium and iterative integration. The model demonstrates how SOCs embed technological and human capabilities to sustain simultaneously agility, consistency, authority, and speed. By reframing AI integration as a process of paradox reconciliation, not as a resistance or automation alone, this study contributes new theoretical insight into the sociotechnical dynamics shaping the future of cybersecurity operations.