Reimagining complexity: Exploring organizational ambidexterity as a lens for policy research

Abstract

For years, policy implementation scholars have recognized the trend of school improvement policies converging on public schools in such a way that these policies create a paradox – policies aimed at school improvement have often been represented as in such a state of incoherence, that they have been unmanageable. This convergence of reforms asks educators to manage multiple demands – learning and implementing new reforms and ways of teaching, while also leveraging current resources and capabilities. The concept of organizational ambidexterity captures this tension and complexity, giving a name to an organization’s ability to effectively balance conflicting pressures and to simultaneously take advantage of existing capabilities and explore possible innovative practices to increase both efficiency and efficacy. We argue that drawing on the research on organizational ambidexterity and conceptualizing new ways for schools to develop ambidextrous practices may be a critical step toward answering how schools manage environmental pressures and toward educational change.