Presidential Address—Becoming Ambicultural: A Personal Quest, and Aspiration for Organizations

Abstract

In many ways management theory and practice, like life, are anchored in opposites. Dichotomies abound: East and West, global and local, research and teaching, scholarship and practice, among many others. But are they truly oppositional? Taking a broad view of “culture” as a concept that encapsulates all human affairs, I propose that an “ambicultural” perspective and approach offer a way to integrate the best qualities of what may appear to be irreconcilable opposites. Expanding on my August 2013 Academy of Management presidential address, I suggest that guideposts to gaining this perspective can be found in both my personal journey and my experiences in research, teaching, and professional service and that “becoming ambicultural” is a process that individuals and organizations alike can undergo to bridge divides and unite “opposites.” In this article I connect the ambicultural view to implications for management and organization research, for professional and personal growth, for the future of the Academy, and for attainment of a balance and enlightenment transcending differences. My research in competitive dynamics offers an example of ambicultural integration of Chinese philosophy and Western social sciences.