This study explores how mature hybrid organizations, which pursue dual missions involving divergent yet interdependent goals, manage and sustain these paradoxical missions over time. Using Benedictine monasteries as a case study, the research adopts a grounded theory approach to investigate how these long-lasting organizations balance their spiritual and economic objectives. The Rule of Saint Benedict, which dictates an ideal equilibrium between prayer and work, serves as an institutionalized norm that generates inherent tensions. The findings reveal a model consisting of three processes through which mature hybrid organizations embed and sustain their paradoxical dual mission. First, the paradox is embraced as a top-down norm, creating a structured separation of goals and roles. Second, members engage in continuous cognitive efforts to personally embed the paradox into their daily activities, facilitated by a long-term learning process and individual reflections. Third, organizational practices promote the collective sharing of the paradox, supported by leadership and community mechanisms that safeguard both poles of the paradox. This integration of individual cognitive efforts and collective organizational mechanisms ensures a state of “paradoxical unity”, where both individual members and the organization as a whole harmonize their dual missions. The study contributes to the literature on hybrid organizations and paradox theory by highlighting the importance of integrating both cognitive and organizational mechanisms in managing and sustaining paradoxical goals in mature hybrids
