How to promote ambidextrous innovation through integration with supply chain partners? The role of external knowledge acquisition and cooperative goal interdependence

Abstract

ABSTRACT In today’s fiercely competitive environment, integration with supply chain partners and the acquisition of external knowledge have become increasingly important strategies for mitigating the resource tension between exploration and exploitation. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between supply chain external (suppliers and customers) integration and ambidextrous innovation, with a focus on the mediating effect of external knowledge acquisition and the moderating effect of cooperative goal interdependence based on Chinese firm-level data. The empirical results of this study reveal several important findings. First, supplier integration and customer integration have positive effects on ambidextrous innovation. Second, supplier integration and customer integration are more beneficial for ambidextrous innovation in firms holding higher cooperative goal interdependence with both suppliers and customers than in firms holding lower cooperative goal interdependence with both suppliers and customers. Finally, external knowledge acquisition partially mediates the effects of supplier integration and customer integration on ambidextrous innovation. These findings provide top managers with important insights into the role of supply chain external integration in the promotion of ambidextrous innovation. This research also contributes to the literature on ambidexterity theory and enriches the knowledge management literature within the supply chain management framework.