Ambidextrous Learning Research Articles

The Impact of Entrepreneurial Orientation on the Sustainable Innovation Capabilities of New Ventures: From the Perspective of Ambidextrous Learning

Amid changes in the business environment and increased competition, sustainable innovation has become the key for new ventures to survive and develop. Innovation capability is considered to be closely related to entrepreneurial orientation and organizational learning. However, there was no in-depth analysis of sustainable innovation capability from an ambidextrous perspective to distinguish from traditional single-episode innovation and no systematic empirical study to explore the internal relationship among the three factors mentioned above in a new venture scenario. Employing the ambidextrous perspective, this paper explored the impact of entrepreneurial orientation on the sustainable innovation capabilities of new ventures and examined the mediating effect of ambidextrous learning. Using the multisource data of 279 new ventures from China, this paper empirically tested the research hypothesis. The results showed that: (1) The three dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation have a significant positive impact on the sustainable innovation capability of new ventures; (2) Ambidextrous learning partially mediates the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and the sustainable innovation capability of new ventures; (3) Both the equilibrium and interaction effects of ambidextrous learning positively affect the sustainable innovation capability of new ventures. This study clarified the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and the sustainable innovation capability of new ventures, emphasized the equilibrium and interaction in ambidextrous learning, and provided theoretical support for new ventures to form and develop sustainable innovation capability.

Learning ambidexterity and innovation in creative industries. the role of enabling formalisation

ABSTRACT This study analyzed the impact of learning ambidexterity on innovation and tested the mediating effect of enabling formalisation on this relationship in creative industries. Polynomial regressions were used to test the hypothesised relationships on a sample consisting of 379 medium and large sized Romanian firms. The results demonstrate that the learning ambidexterity improves innovation, while enabling formalisation is mediating the effects of exploratory and exploitative learning capabilities on innovation. By examining the relationships between learning ambidexterity and innovation, it extends other studies findings. The paper contributes to deeper examination of formalisation on innovation outcomes by focusing on enabling formalisation. The study is performed in creative industries and in medium and large sized companies, usually poorly researched contexts in relation with learning ambidexterity. The study contributes to ambidexterity literature by focusing specifically on learning capability, a new type of organisational capability. Due to the relative lack of validated understanding of the learning ambidexterity impact on innovation, this study contributes to the development of theory explaining this interaction and its effects. Finally, the results demonstrate complementarity between exploratory and exploitative learning capabilities.

Drivers of sustainable business model innovations. An upper echelon theory perspective

This study explores the factors that drive the adoption of sustainable business model innovations (SBMIs). In this mixed-method (qualitative and quantitative) study, we draw on upper echelon theory to identify the factors that have led firms to switch from conventional products and processes to sustainable business innovation. This study of senior managers uses qualitative data to understand the mechanisms adopted by top management to make the switch to SBMIs. Data was gathered from 285 middle managers to empirically validate the theoretical model. The study concludes that in the top management team (TMT), ambidextrous learning has a positive association with the firm's decision to adopt SBMIs. However, TMT diversity and university-industry collaboration are positively associated with ambidextrous learning by top management and, subsequently, the adoption of SBMIs. Our findings also suggest that transformational leadership positively moderates the association between TMT diversity and ambidextrous learning. However, the impact on the relationship between collaboration and ambidextrous learning is negative.

Managerial ties and learning ambidexterity: the moderating effects of manager service support and employee service rewards

PurposeManagerial ties (i.e. business ties and political ties) could help manufacturers conduct learning ambidexterity by providing external resources. However, the resource management perspective claims that merely accessing external resources does not guarantee learning ambidexterity. As manufacturers utilize their resources by implementing services, this study aims to investigate how the impact of managerial ties on learning ambidexterity depends on human resource service practices (i.e. manager service support and employee service rewards).Design/methodology/approachThis study collected data from 150 high-tech manufacturing firms through a survey-based questionnaire, which was completed by two managers in one firm. The ordinary least squares regression was employed to test the research model and hypotheses.FindingsBusiness ties hurt learning ambidexterity when manager service support is high, whereas business ties benefit learning ambidexterity when employee service rewards are high. Similar findings are not applied to political ties.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors did not examine the mechanism underlying the effect of managerial ties on learning ambidexterity. The non-significant findings on political ties suggest potential mediators for future research. Another limitation is that the study’s data are only from China. Manager ties are also important in other developing countries like Turkey. More data from other countries are needed to test the generalization of the authors’ findings.Practical implicationsFirst, managers should focus on business ties more than political ties when learning ambidexterity is important to their firms. Second, managers should reward service-oriented employees.Originality/valueThe study enriches the literature on investigating the impact of managerial ties on learning ambidexterity. The authors also contribute to the literature by examining servitization as a service context. Prior studies mainly examine servitization as a driver of firm performance. The findings suggest that servitization as a business context can affect other business activities.

REDE DE CONHECIMENTO E APRENDIZAGEM AMBIDESTRA: QUAL É O IMPACTO NO DESEMPENHO DA INOVAÇÃO?

ABSTRACT Knowledge networks have become a critical factor in the development of innovation. However, most studies focus on the innovation benefits derived from network embedding, and there are fewer studies on firms’ knowledge networks from the perspective of feature attributes. This study analyzes the direct and interactive effects of knowledge diversity and the combination of knowledge potential on innovation performance. The research also explores how the complementarity of ambidextrous learning affects the relationship between knowledge networks and innovation performance. The empirical analysis is based on panel data from 116 firms in China’s automotive manufacturing industry from 2010-2018. The results processed by the fixed effects negative binomial regression model indicate that the combinatorial potential of knowledge has an inverted U-shaped relationship with firm innovation performance, and knowledge diversity has a positive effect on firm innovation performance. There is an interactive effect between knowledge combination potential and knowledge diversity, and their mutual coordination improves firm innovation performance. The complementarity of ambidextrous learning significantly and positively moderates the positive relationship between the combination potential of knowledge and firm innovation performance.

The influence of supervisor creative feedback environment on team creativity: The role of the ambidextrous learning and creative cognitive style.

The survival and success of organizations increasingly depend on creativity. A Supervisor Creative Feedback Environment is of special value in enhancing team creativity, but few studies have explored the relationship between the supervisor creative feedback environment and creativity and how it affects creativity. Based on feedback intervention theory and triadic reciprocal determinism, this paper explores the process mechanism and boundary conditions of the supervisor creative feedback environment affecting team creativity from the perspectives of ambidextrous learning and team creative cognitive style. With 506 team members from 115 work teams in domestic enterprises as research samples, regression analysis was used to test the theoretical hypotheses. Feedback intervention, according to the feedback intervention theory, is a complicated process. There are various influencing factors, such as the feedback provider, means of feedback intervention, the content of the feedback information, situational factors, and the feedback recipients (Junwei, 2003). The leading creative feedback loop includes important feedback receiver's factors which are not mentioned above. Triadic reciprocal determinism holds that individual behavior is formed by the interaction and interconnection of individual, environment, and behavior. The two above-mentioned theories can explain why the leadership creative feedback environment can affect team creativity by influencing ambidextrous learning. The results also show that the feedback environment of supervisor creativity has positive effects on team creativity. Ambidextrous learning mediates the relation between supervisor creative feedback environments and team creativity. Team creative cognitive style has a positive moderating effect on the indirect relationship between a supervisor creative feedback environment and team creativity through ambidextrous learning. This study validates feedback intervention theory and triadic reciprocal determinism, expands the application of feedback environment factors in the research field of team creativity, provides a theoretical framework for the influence of the creative feedback environment on team creativity, and also provides theoretical support for managers to apply the management tool of a supervisor creative feedback environment to organizational context to improve team creativity. Based on the research results, this paper puts forward corresponding management suggestions from the aspect of creating a supervisor creative feedback environment, attaching importance to team ambidextrous learning, and making good use of creative cognitive style.

Effects of the organizational culture and knowledge exploration and exploitation on results in the EFQM model framework

PurposeThis paper aims to adopt Cameron and Quinn’s analysis of organizational culture and March’s learning framework to analyze the type of organizational culture (OC) that promotes learning competences and whether exploration and exploitation competences (ambidexterity) improve the European Foundation of Quality Management (EFQM) results (excellent results). In addition, this research tests if these competences exercise a mediating effect in the relationship between OC and performance.Design/methodology/approachA model is proposed whose relationships have been tested using structural equations. The sample was obtained from the SABI database. Two hundred valid questionnaires were returned via a webpage, in which four managers from each of the 200 organizations responded.FindingsThe results support the proposed relationships. Adhocracy, hierarchy and market culture have a positive relationship with excellent results. A hierarchical culture develops exploitation competences, and a market culture develops learning ambidexterity. Moreover, exploration and exploitation increase results. Finally, these two cultures indirectly influence results through exploration and exploitation competences.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed model can help managers who implement the EFQM model to better understand how the culture of their organization promotes learning and how these two variables improve their performance.Practical implicationsBecause the EFQM model requires organizations to use a knowledge management system to enhance the effect of the enabliers criteria on excellent results, the managers of these companies must know that only market and hierarchy cultures are suitable for it. Besides, this study highlights the importance of two cultural values for the implementation of the EFQM Model and, therefore, to promote excellent results: market orientation and process control.Originality/valueThis study fills an existing gap in the literature by combining exploitation, exploration, OC and EFQM results in a single model and highlights the importance of market orientation and process control for excellent results and knowledge exploration and exploitation.

Business Networks and Organizational Resilience Capacity in the Digital Age during COVID-19

Based on organizational information processing theory (OIPT), this study examines how and when business networks exert a positive influence on firms’ organizational resilience capacity. Using data collected from 409 Chinese manufacturing firms during the COVID-19 pandemic, and by disaggregating business networks into two dimensions—network breadth and network depth—our findings show, firstly, that both network breadth and network depth are positively correlated to the organizational resilience capacity of firms; secondly, that these relationships are mediated by firms’ ambidextrous learning; and thirdly, that the positive effects of network breadth and network depth on organizational resilience capacity are stronger when the firms’ digital technology levels are higher. Furthermore, through additional analysis, we find that the positive impact of business networks on organizational resilience capacity is stronger for non-state-owned enterprises (non-SOEs) than it is for SOEs, and also that the moderating effect of digital technology on the relationship between business networks and organizational resilience capacity is greater for non-SOEs than it is for SOEs. These findings provide new insight into how a firm’s business network, in combination with its ambidextrous learning and level of digital technology, affects its organizational resilience capacity development, which helps it survive a crisis for future sustainable development.

CEO Ethical Leadership in Promoting Ambidextrous Learning: Examining the CEO-TMT Interface

How can a firm develop and utilize knowledge more effectively and efficiently in ways that increase its learning ability to pursue an ambidextrous orientation? Based on the upper echelons theory and social learning theory, we provide a new theoretical insight that highlights the role of CEO, especially the ethical leadership of CEO. We argue that ethical leaders who are more likely to stress the importance of two-way communication and integrate knowledge can increase firms’ ability to promote the process of ambidextrous learning. Moreover, based on CEO-TMT interface, we theorized and tested two mediating mechanisms from top management team (TMT) level, transactive memory system and behavioral integration. Using a sample of 204 firms in China, we find the indirect effect of TMT transactive memory system and behavioral integration on the relationship between CEO ethical leadership and ambidextrous learning coexist. The theoretical contributions, future research directions, and managerial practice implications of these findings are discussed.

Team Cognitive Composition and Innovation: The Role of Leader Behavior and Ambidextrous Learning

Integrating the theoretical perspective of innovation ambidexterity and the complementarity theory, this study elaborates a complementary approach between team cognitive composition and leader behaviors to reconcile the creation–implementation tension at the team level. Using the multi-time and multi-source data gathered from 702 team members in 116 teams across six Chinese high-tech companies, we found that when team at relatively low levels of systematic-intuitive cognitive composition, that is, the proportion of members with systematic cognitive style is higher than that of members with intuitive cognitive style, the weaker management control and stronger power sharing from the team leader would promote team ambidexterity. In contrast, when team at relatively high levels of systematic-intuitive cognitive composition, that is, the proportion of members with intuitive cognitive style is higher than that of members with systematic cognitive style, the stronger management control and the weaker power sharing from the team leader would enhance team ambidexterity. Additionally, we integrated the above findings to examine two moderated mediation models, which suggest that team ambidexterity mediated the interactive effects between team cognitive compositions and two team leadership behaviors-leader management control and leader power sharing on team innovation. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings, the limitations of our study, and future research directions are discussed as well.

Regulatory Focus, Ambidextrous Learning and Opportunity Recognition in New Product Development

This study focuses on individual managers’ ambidextrous learning and examines its psychological antecedents and consequences in the new product development (NPD) context. Specifically, drawing on the regulatory focus theory, this study examines the relationship between the regulatory focus (i.e., promotion focus and prevention focus), ambidextrous learning, and NPD opportunity recognition. Based on survey data of 225 NPD project managers in high-tech small and medium-sized enterprises in China, we find that NPD project managers’ promotion focus and prevention focus, acting as an enabler and a deterrent respectively, affect their ambidextrous learning, which in turn facilitates opportunity recognition in the NPD process. Further analyses reveal that ambidextrous learning mediates the effects of promotion and prevention focus on NPD opportunity recognition. Our findings offer new insights on the individual ambidexterity regarding the unique role of ambidextrous learning, manifested as actionable managerial capability, and also practical implications on how NPD project managers can self-regulate their behaviour for the benefit of NPD.

A Study on the Impact of Boundary-Spanning Search on the Sustainable Development Performance of Technology Start-Ups

Boundary-spanning search and ambidextrous learning are the key means for organizations to absorb and internalize external heterogeneous knowledge and play an important role in the sustainable development of enterprises. From the perspective of organizational learning and value co-creation, this paper constructs a theoretical model of the impact of boundary-spanning search on sustainable development performance and conducts multiple regression analysis and a bootstrap test based on the sample data of Chinese start-up technology enterprises. The results show that the following: (1) boundary-spanning search contributes to the sustainable development performance of technology start-ups; (2) the role of ambidextrous learning as a partial mediator between boundary-spanning search and the sustainable development performance of technology start-ups; (3) value co-creation positively regulates the relationship between boundary-spanning search and exploratory learning, while the regulation effect between boundary-spanning search and exploitative learning is not significant; (4) value co-creation strengthens the intermediary role of exploratory learning between boundary-spanning search and the sustainable development performance of start-up technology enterprises. The findings help reveal the mechanisms by which boundary-spanning search affects the sustainable development performance of technology start-ups and their boundary conditions.

How Ambidextrous Human Resource System Affect Employee Creativity? A Study in the Pakistani Context

Strategic human resource management scholars have devoted substantial research to determine the relationship between human resource management (HRM) and creativity. It has focused primarily on HRM architecture at the macro level: exploring the effect of the HRM system on performance related to capacity building, skills and competencies. In framing that HRM architecture, this macro focus informs organisations about how to promote creativity. However, literature on how a creativity-targeted HRM system, for instance, the ambidextrous HR system, influences employees’ perceptions and experiences to be more creative at the individual level is still limited. The multilevel perspective on how the HRM system can potentially promote the creativity of employees is still limited. The multilevel data from 100 HR heads and 400 faculty employees of public and private sector universities show that the top-down effect of the ambidextrous HR system on employee creativity is partially mediated by ambidextrous learning and organisation-based self-esteem. Based on the findings, the study offers practical and theoretical implications.

Developing learning ambidexterity and job performance: training and educational implications across the cultural divide

Developing learning ambidexterity and job performance: training and educational implications across the cultural divide

Strategic conformity, organizational learning ambidexterity, and corporate innovation performance: An inverted U-shaped curve?

The mixed outcomes reported for strategic conformity confirm that there is not yet a unified understanding of how strategic conformity affects firm outcomes. By integrating the institutional and optimal conformity literature, this study investigates how and when strategic conformity impacts corporate innovative performance. Based on a survey of 291 manufacturing firms in China, the empirical results show that strategic conformity has an inverted U-shaped effect on innovative performance and that relative exploitative dimension of ambidexterity mediates the inverted U-shaped association between strategic conformity and innovative performance. Further, we find that higher levels of structural formalization strengthen the relationship between strategic conformity and the relative exploitative dimension of ambidexterity. Both theoretical and empirical contributions of the study are discussed.

The Curvilinear Relationships Between Relational Embeddedness and Dynamic Capabilities: The Mediating Effect of Ambidextrous Learning.

Dynamic capabilities are crucial to the survival and development of enterprises in the BOP (Base/Bottom of the Pyramid, hereinafter BOP) market. The research focuses on the double-edged sword impact of relational embeddedness on dynamic capabilities via ambidextrous learning, that is moderate embeddedness facilitates dynamic capabilities while overembeddedness inhibits them. Furthermore, this study investigates whether human capital moderates the relationships between relational embeddedness and ambidextrous learning. Selecting 264 samples for empirical research, firstly, the results show that the relational embeddedness in the BOP cooperation network has an inverted U-shaped influence on ambidextrous learning and dynamic capabilities. Secondly, exploratory learning and exploitative learning play a mediating role in relational embeddedness and dynamic capabilities. Thirdly, prior experience plays a positive moderating role in relational embeddedness and exploitative learning. The conclusions facilitate understanding the antecedents of dynamic capabilities and the black box of “embeddedness paradox,” and provide empirical evidence for adjusting the human capital of enterprises, enhancing the exploratory learning capability and exploitative learning capability, and coping with the overembeddedness effects.

Is there an illusion of symmetry in cultural distance from Asia–pacific Emnes? the role of business groups in navigating cultural distance through ambidextrous learning

Is there an illusion of symmetry in cultural distance from Asia–pacific Emnes? the role of business groups in navigating cultural distance through ambidextrous learning

Interactive Effect of Export Strategic Orientations on Export Market Learning Ambidexterity: A Study of Turkish Export SMEs

The interactive effect of export strategic orientations on export market learning ambidexterity has been studied in this paper. Export market orientation and export entrepreneurial orientation, as strategic orientations, have a complement feature among them, while ambidexterity itself is a complement form of exploration and exploitation. In this study, the relationship between these two complement effects was examined by using 291 export SMEs located in Turkey which is an emerging economy. According to the results, a great impact from interactive effect of strategic orientations to ambidexterity is examined. Also, in line with the previous researches, the results confirmed that export strategic orientations individually have impact on exploration and exploitation. The findings help provide a more complete understanding of how export strategic orientations might be related to export market learning dimensions. It is revealed that both types of orientations provide different managerial efforts individually and interactively to develop and foster exploration, exploitation and ambidexterity in export markets.

Platform Leadership and Sustainable Competitive Advantage: The Mediating Role of Ambidextrous Learning.

In the context of the knowledge economy, the role of traditional leadership for enterprises is questioned. Based on contingency theory and the resource-based view, this paper proposes the important role of platform leadership, a new leadership type in line with the context of the times, for a sustainable competitive advantage. We conducted an empirical study to examine and confirm the positive effects of platform leadership on sustainable competitive advantage and ambidextrous learning. We also verified the mediation effect of exploratory and exploitative learning on platform leadership and sustainable competitive advantage. Additionally, relevant discussion and research contributions are put forward.

Diagnosing of human resource performance management based on lack of ambidextrous learning themes: a case study of public Iranian banking system

PurposeWith drastic changes in the external environment, many organizations today cannot continue their activities and create sustainability in achieving long-term goals without having carefully designed and coordinated systems with each other. The human resource performance management system is considered as one of the most important process pillars of any organization that without any specific strategic mechanism, such as inclusive learning, faces challenges and harmful conflicts. The purpose of this study is to diagnose human resource performance management based on the lack of ambidextrous learning themes in the banking system.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, theoretical screening based on similar research was used to identify the components (diagnosing of human resource performance management) and research propositions (ambidextrous learning themes). Then, Delphi analysis was used to determine the reliability of research components and propositions by the participation of 13 management specialists and experts. In the quantitative part, the components and propositions identified in the form of matrix questionnaires were evaluated by interpretive analysis by 18 managers of banking system.FindingsThe results showed that the proposition of lack of strategic tendencies in learning is considered as the most effective theme of ambidextrous learning in reinforcing the damage of strategic incompatibility in the performance functions of human resource management (HRM).Originality/valueThis result shows that the lack of strategic orientations due to the ineffectiveness in identifying environmental capacities in the banking system in the field of HRM performance is a new challenge.