Innovation capacity building

Jacob Brix

doi:10.1108/tlo-08-2018-0143

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose how a bottom-up creation of an ambidextrous organization can be enabled. By integrating research on “contextual ambidexterity” and “individual and organizational capacity building”, an “innovation capacity building” framework is conceptualized that suggests how balance between exploration and exploitation can be maintained.Design/methodology/approachThe study is conceptual. As no data are utilized, focus is on discussing the links between the two theoretical perspectives and the advantages of the proposed innovation capacity building framework.FindingsThe innovation capacity building framework discusses the influence, both positive and negative, of the local organizational context for ambidexterity, and the interactions required such as feedback between the management team and the employees so they together can build an ambidextrous working culture. A culture in which it is the individual employee that is responsible for switching between activities related to exploration and exploitation and where the management team empowers the employees to do so.Originality/valueThis study focuses on contextual ambidexterity and how contextual ambidexterity can be implemented as a way of working in contemporary organizations. The originality lies in the proposed framework and in the dedicated focus on “how” ambidexterity can be implemented in organizations.

Highlights

Multiple studies establish that optimal performance levels can be found in organizations that are able to maintain an appropriate balance between activities related to exploration© Jacob Brix
The main contribution of the study is this framework that proposes how individual and organizational capacity building processes can be used by managers to empower the employees to make appropriate judgements between exploration and exploitation to reach both their own individual goals and to work towards realizing the organization’s intended strategy. This bottom-up approach and strong focus on the manager-employee interaction resonates with the study of the successful implementation practices by Havermans et al (2015, p. 194), which concludes that: Our results suggest that contextual ambidexterity can emerge in interaction between leaders and their team members and as a result of their dynamic interpretations of the environment and efforts to respond to perceived environmental changes
The chief argument for integrating the capacity building literature with the literature on contextual ambidexterity is one of unexplored complementarity: In the literature on contextual ambidexterity, little is known about the actual processes for creating an ambidextrous organizational culture (Raisch et al, 2009; Wang and Rafiq, 2014; Havermans et al, 2015), and in individual and organizational capacity building the context of ambidexterity has not been investigated (Farazmand, 2004; Jensen and Krogstrup, 2017; Krogstrup and Brix, 2019)

Summary

Introduction

Multiple studies establish that optimal performance levels can be found in organizations that are able to maintain an appropriate balance between activities related to exploration© Jacob Brix. Multiple studies establish that optimal performance levels can be found in organizations that are able to maintain an appropriate balance between activities related to exploration. The funding utilized to finance the open access version of this paper stems from the author's talent management program in which he is enrolled at Aalborg University's Faculty of Social Sciences. The author wishes to thank his colleague and Head of Research, Professor Hanne Kathrine Krogstrup, for excellent sparring and feedback on earlier versions of this manuscript. The same gratitude goes to Professor Richard M. Burton at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University for valuable feedback. Kudos is given to the reviewers and especially the special issue editors, Dr Nhien Nguyen and Professor George P. Huber for quick, precise and to-the-point feedback in the review process

Objectives

Discussion

Conclusion