Dimensions Of Ambidexterity Research Articles

Intra-organizational knowledge sharing, ambidexterity and firm performance: evaluating the role of knowledge quality

PurposeThis study aims to examine how knowledge sharing contributes to organizations’ ambidexterity, their overall performance and the role of knowledge quality in this relationship. Knowledge sharing is conceptualized based on tacit and explicit dimensions, and ambidexterity is viewed as comprising exploitative and explorative capabilities.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a cross-sectional survey-based research design and structural equation modeling to test the proposed model of knowledge sharing and knowledge quality in organizational ambidexterity and the related hypotheses.FindingsThe results indicate that tacit knowledge sharing has a significant, direct impact on the exploitative and explorative capabilities of the organization and indirectly impacts both dimensions of ambidexterity (i.e. exploitative and explorative) through knowledge quality. In contrast, explicit knowledge sharing does not have a significant impact on knowledge quality and affects only the exploitative extent of ambidexterity. Both exploitative and explorative capabilities significantly impact organizational performance.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first study to empirically examine the role of knowledge quality in the context of knowledge sharing for ambidexterity, especially within the context of organizations in the United Arab Emirates.

Ambidexterity in a geographic context: A systematic literature review on international exploration and exploitation of knowledge

Despite the globalised nature of today's innovation environment, research on organisational ambidexterity's geographic dimension, especially international, is scarce and largely fragmented. We conduct a systematic literature review of 107 selected academic articles and take stock of what is understood about the geographic implications of ambidexterity, as well as map out important research gaps. We propose a conceptual framework that brings the dispersed body of literature closer together to focus the future academic discussion. The results show how three main interconnected areas—strategic approach, entry mode, and environmental factors—determine and influence exploration and exploitation activities in an international geographic context. Finally, future research avenues are identified in order to support and guide scholars and researchers in their pursuit of advancing the discussion on the geographic dimension of ambidexterity.

Tackling pandemic‐related health grand challenges: The role of organizational ambidexterity, social equality, and innovation performance

AbstractThe outbreak of COVID‐19 has brought the world to a standstill, with severe consequences on economic and health systems, requiring the identification and implementation of innovative solutions. This study's aims are threefold: first, to examine the impact of balanced and combined dimensions of ambidexterity on for‐profit organizations' innovation performance related to pandemics; second, to uncover whether and to what extent such innovation performance contributes to tackling global health grand challenges (i.e., mortality rate, risk of infection, and life expectancy) associated with pandemics; and, third, to investigate the moderating role of social equalities in health in the relationships between innovation performance and health‐related outcomes associated with pandemics. To uncover how for‐profit firms tackle the health‐related consequences of pandemics, we examine whether they have introduced product innovations to the health sector, defined as the market introduction of a new or significantly improved good, that have helped address the health challenges associated with the COVID‐19 pandemic. Using a panel dataset (1974–2020) with 15,062 firm‐year observations from the United States, we show that both the separate and the synchronous implementation of the balanced and combined dimensions of ambidexterity have a strong positive effect on firms' innovation performance and, particularly, innovation initiatives related to the pandemic. The results also reveal that innovation activities (i.e., granted patents and citations focused on COVID‐19) negatively affect mortality rate and risk of infection, as well as the positive impact of innovation on increasing life expectancy, with social equalities in health moderating this relationship. Taken together, we make novel contributions to the literature on how to tackle the health‐related consequences of pandemics through innovation and provide actionable managerial guidance on how firms can enhance innovation performance.

Ambidexterity and organizational performance of Brazilian exporting companies

Objective: To investigate the effect of exploration, exploitation, sales growth and profitability of exporting companies located in four Brazilian states. Method: Data were processed and analyzed based on multivariate statistical procedures and Structural Equation Modeling with 216 exporting companies located in four states of Brazil, an emerging economy country. Main Results: The findings reveal a positive and significant effect of the exploration and exploitation dimensions on sales growth and profitability in the sample of companies investigated. Relevance / Originality: The analyzed regions are considered important for the Brazilian economy because they have different characteristics in geographic position, an abundance of natural resources, export of products and diversity of human knowledge. Finally, a theoretical framework was developed that covers the theory of Resource-Based View (RBV), exploration, exploitation and organizational performance dimensions. Theoretical / Methodological Contributions: The proposition of a theoretical framework containing relational aspects of the dimensions of ambidexterity (exploration and exploitation) and organizational performance (sales growth and profitability) associated with the RBV theory can contribute to the theoretical improvement of administrative sciences. Social / Management Contributions: The analyzed sample showed low profitability is more prone to exploitaton capabilities. On the other hand, companies with high profitability showed a greater inclination towards exploration capabilities. Companies with low sales growth indicate a greater inclination towards exploration capabilities, despite the small difference between exploration and exploitation for a group of companies.

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.

Organizational Ambidexterity and Its Performance Implication of Foreign Ventures in an Emerging Market

Exploration and exploitation are key innovation strategies of foreign ventures operating in emerging markets. In this study, we focus on organizational ambidexterity, the simultaneous pursuit of exploration and exploitation, and examine the effects of the combined and balance dimensions of ambidexterity on performance in emerging markets. We further investigate which dimension, the combined or balance, foreign ventures should adopt with different levels of marketing capability and strategic flexibility. Using a survey of foreign ventures operating in manufacturing industries in China, we find that both dimensions of organizational ambidexterity have no direct effects on performance. However, marketing capability and strategic flexibility moderate the organizational ambidexterity–firm performance relationship. The combined dimension can foster performance when foreign ventures have high levels of marketing capability and strategic flexibility. Interestingly, the balance dimension of organizational ambidexterity profitably contributes to performance when foreign ventures possess low levels of marketing capability and strategic flexibility.

Dynamic capability, ambidexterity and social network—empirical evidence from SMEs in China

PurposeThe investigation of organization's ambidextrous innovation is a challenge in the research studies of management sciences. As existent literature showed a positive relation between dynamic capability (DC) and innovation, few empirical studies are conducted to explain how DC impacts on the balanced and combined dimension of ambidexterity and still less on how social network moderates this relation. As a result, this paper aims to investigate and provide empirical evidence on DC’s influence on ambidexterity in the context of China.Design/methodology/approachBy a relational model of DC, ambidextrous innovation and social network, this study has conducted multiple regression analysis on the data collected from 350 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in mainland China.FindingsThe results show that, DC has positive influence on both the combined and balanced dimension of ambidexterity; and both the relational network and structural network play an inverted U moderating role, where the moderation of relational network is stronger than that of structural network.Originality/valueThis study provides empirical support on DC's influence on ambidexterity together with the moderation of social network.

Team Flexibility in Organizational Change Context: Antecedents and Consequences.

PurposeThe purpose of our study is to explore the antecedents and consequences of team flexibility in an organizational change context. In this regard, we considered team flexibility as an important theoretical mechanism under which the insiders would adapt to organizational change.Participants and MethodsA sample of 602 individual data that was nested in 108 teams and 43 organizations was used in this study, collecting from 43 enterprises located in mainland China through questionnaires. We adopted HLM 6.08 to testify all the hypothesized relationships and used the Monte Carlo method to create the confidence intervals for all the indirect effects.ResultsThe empirical results show that 1) balance dimension of ambidexterity and change leadership have a significant positive effect on team flexibility; 2) balance dimension of ambidexterity only has marginal significant effects on employee change-specific adaptive behavior, change-specific proactive behavior, and change fairness. And change leadership has significant positive effects on the three outcomes; 3) team flexibility has a positive influence on the three outcomes. 4) Team flexibility plays a significant mediating role in the links between the balance dimension of ambidexterity and the three outcomes. In addition, team flexibility only has a significant indirect effect on the relationship between change leadership and change-specific adaptive behavior and proactive behavior.ConclusionThe current study reveals how team flexibility is established and how such flexibility is associated with employee-level change-specific behavior and perception under an organizational change context. The study indicates that team flexibility is contingent on two factors across two levels: change leadership at team level and balanced ambidexterity at organizational level, which also contributes to individual outcomes of organizational change.

Integrated exploratory factor analysis and Data Envelopment Analysis to evaluate balanced ambidexterity fostering innovation in manufacturing SMEs

Multilevel view to strategic change and ambidexterity has received momentum in strategic management. However, previous literature has rarely addressed the strategic aspects of ambidexterity or its decision making pattern in SMEs. Secondly, there is conceptual ambiguity on the concept of the balance dimension of ambidexterity. This study has used a mixed method of research on a sample of Iranian manufacturing SMEs. At the first step, this study used quantitative data to test the proposed model with hierarchical regression analysis. In the second phase, Data Envelope Analysis (DEA) was used to identify the best practices of the proposed model for conducting the interview. In the last stage of the study, qualitative data was collected through semi structured interview, which helped the researchers to do an in depth analysis on optimal composition of ambidexterity. Result from quantitative data has approved the moderating effect of ambidextrous learning on flexibility. The result from DEA and qualitative data analysis has shown the exploitative dominant balanced ambidexterity as the optimal composition of strategies in SMEs.

Can you balance the gaps? Ambidexterity in service firms

PurposeAmbidexterity refers to the ability to balance contradictory items and has been extensively described in relation to technological advancement in large-sized manufacturing firms. Few studies on hospitality and tourism firms have described the balancing of innovative developments, often focusing on the operational level of firms. Ambidexterity could though be understood also in dimensions of customer/market development and collaborative interaction. This paper describes and discusses ambidexterity in the dimensions of technological advancement, customer/market development and collaborative interaction in service firms to inspire this debate and bridge the gap between strategy and the service field.Design/methodology/approachA case study describing a service firm's 25-year development functions as the empirical source of inspiration to understand how service firms also in tourism and hospitality sectors would work with strategies and their developments related to technology, customers and collaboration. The case study is analysed using an activity-based time schedule to capture dimensions of ambidexterity and how they are linked to one another.FindingsThe findings indicate how the service firm balanced exploitation and exploration over time, rather than allowing such activities to occur simultaneously and in parallel. Generally, the firm only managed to explore in one dimension at the time.Originality/valueThe paper broadens the lens on ambidexterity to include collaboration and customer involvement and the link among the various dimensions of ambidexterity. It also discusses how ambidexterity in these dimensions may be handled by service firms so as to inspire strategic developments among tourism and hospitality firms.

Exploitative dominant balanced ambidexterity solving the paradox of innovation strategies in SMEs

Ambidexterity, referred as the adoption of both exploitation and exploration strategies, has received momentum in organisation research and particularly in innovation management on SMEs. Despite the intuitive appeal of ambidexterity, the ambidexterity-performance relationship is not straightforward, particularly for SMEs whose resource constraints make the successful implementation of an ambidextrous posture cumbersome. Secondly, there is conceptual ambiguity on the concept of the balance dimension of ambidexterity. Based on a hierarchical oriented view to dynamic capabilities, strategic flexibility and ambidexterity are found contingent with SMEs performance in a dynamic business environment. This study applied a mixed method of research on a sample of Iranian SMEs. The result shows that the exploitative dominant balanced ambidexterity enhances the effectiveness of implementing flexible strategies in SMEs.

Exploitative dominant balanced ambidexterity solving the paradox of innovation strategies in SMEs

Ambidexterity, referred as the adoption of both exploitation and exploration strategies, has received momentum in organisation research and particularly in innovation management on SMEs. Despite the intuitive appeal of ambidexterity, the ambidexterity-performance relationship is not straightforward, particularly for SMEs whose resource constraints make the successful implementation of an ambidextrous posture cumbersome. Secondly, there is conceptual ambiguity on the concept of the balance dimension of ambidexterity. Based on a hierarchical oriented view to dynamic capabilities, strategic flexibility and ambidexterity are found contingent with SMEs performance in a dynamic business environment. This study applied a mixed method of research on a sample of Iranian SMEs. The result shows that the exploitative dominant balanced ambidexterity enhances the effectiveness of implementing flexible strategies in SMEs.

Finding the microfoundations of organizational ambidexterity - Demystifying the role of top management behavioural integration

Organizational ambidexterity in a firm is significantly influenced by the behavioural integration of the Top Management Team (TMT). Researchers observe that ambidextrous firms are associated with two dimensions of dexterity, namely, balanced and combined dimensions. However, studies do not explain the varied effects of behaviourally integrated TMTs on the different dimensions of ambidexterity. A clear understanding of this relationship will help firms choose the specific TMT processes needed to facilitate specific dimensions of ambidexterity. We address this research gap and test our research model with structural equation analyses on data collected from 78 SMEs. We observe that behavioural integration processes mostly enhance a firm's combined ambidexterity. Further, we find that combined ambidexterity completely mediates the relationship between behavioural integration and firm performance. Our study adds to the literature on ambidexterity, micro-foundations, and the theory of behavioural integration, and guides small firms in their choices of behavioural and innovation practices.

Entrepreneurial bricolage, ambidexterity structure, and new venture growth: Evidence from the hospitality and tourism sector

This study aims to investigate the links between entrepreneurial bricolage, ambidexterity structure, and new venture growth in the Chinese hospitality and tourism industry. Survey data were collected from 345 entrepreneurs involved with new hospitality and tourism ventures in China. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses of this study. The results indicate that both the combined and balanced dimensions of ambidexterity play mediating roles between entrepreneurial bricolage and new venture growth performance. By exploring the underlying mechanism of the relationship between entrepreneurial bricolage and new venture growth in the hospitality and tourism sector using a comprehensive theoretical model viewed through the lens of ambidexterity, the theoretical and practical implications for management are addressed, and possible directions for future research are discussed.

Decoding Organizational Ambidexterity: From Theory to Implementation

This research work is an attempt to decode Organizational Ambidexterity. Theoretical Concepts pertaining to Organizational Ambidexterity have been revisited here. Previous researchers have interpreted ‘Exploration’ as ‘Learning by Experiment’, and ‘Exploitation’ as ‘Learning by Experience’. In order to clear ambiguity on the understanding of ‘Exploration’ and ‘Exploitation’, it has been proposed that ‘Exploration’ should be interpreted as ‘Learning by Research’; while ‘Exploitation’ as ‘Learning by Application’. Apart from analyzing the constituents of Ambidexterity, various dimensions of Ambidexterity have also been identified and attempt has been made to reconcile different theories proposed by previous researchers. The paper also endeavours to identify the various factors which determine apt balance between exploration and exploitation. Next, it also answers as to how to achieve this apt balance. Organizational structures, processes, HR practices, leadership and culture types which help develop and nurture ambidexterity have also been brought out in the paper.

Role of ambidexterity and learning capability in firm performance

PurposeThis study aims to comprehend the ambidexterity and organizational learning capability construct in the Indian E-commerce industry context.Design/methodology/approachThe survey method was adopted for this study. A survey was circulated among the personnel working in E-commerce companies in India. The focus was on people working in managerial positions and had at least three years of experience in the same industry.FindingsThis paper investigates the link between two dimensions of ambidexterity, i.e., exploration, exploitation and learning capability in firm performance. The paper also establishes the moderating effect of the learning capability on the two dimensions of ambidexterity and firm’s performance.Research/limitations/implicationsOur focus was to cover most of the E-commerce companies, yet to generalize the research the analysis needs to be conducted with even more E-commerce companies. Although we took extraordinary care to gather data from multiple resources and discarded the data that was incomplete or was from lower level employees yet, we need a larger sample to establish the causal claim of our model.Practical/implicationsWe reason that learning capability of a firm impacts the two dimensions and firms should focus both on external and internal knowledge to benefit from the ambidexterity efforts.Social/implicationsLearning capability influences a firm’s performance and has managerial implications. The analysis’ results on the India based ecommerce companies differs from prior research done in more developed countries and other industries.Originality/valueNo prior research has been done from this perspective in the Indian context, and thus our work opens up new avenues for researchers to look at.Keywords Ambidexterity, Firm performance, Learning capability

TMT Behavior Integration, TMT Heterogeneity and Ambidexterity of Organization—Based on Data from Small and Medium Enterprises

Constructing the ambidexterity of organization is a common strategy that an enterprise should consider in a fierce competitive environment. Despite much research on channels and modes used to build the ambidexterity of organization, it is still not yet explicit in some fields. Drawing on the literature of organizational ambidexterity, TMT (top management team) behavior integration and TMT heterogeneity, this study develops a theoretical model explaining the relationships among the three factors from different perspectives. Using the hierarchical regression method and survey data from 122 SMEs in China, the author finds that (1) TMT behavior integration and TMT heterogeneity have positive impacts on ambidexterity, (2) TMT heterogeneity moderates the relationship between TMT behavior integration and the combined dimension of ambidexterity (CD), and (3) TMT heterogeneity does not moderate the relationship between TMT behavior integration and the balanced dimension of ambidexterity (BD).

Examining desorptive capacity in supply chains: the role of organizational ambidexterity

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explain how a buying organization’s desorptive capacity relative to its supply network enhances the organization’s supply chain competence. The research also analyzes the contingent role of the balanced and combined dimensions of ambidexterity in this relationship.Design/methodology/approachEmpirical results are obtained through analysis of survey data from a sample of 270 European firms. Hierarchical regression analysis is used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results confirm, first, the positive and significant relationship between the buying organization’s desorptive capacity and supply chain competence; and, second, the key moderating role of organizational ambidexterity, especially in its combined dimension, in this relationship.Practical implicationsThe study suggests that desorptive capacity is key to the organization’s contribution to supply chain competitiveness. The authors also provide practitioners with better understanding of the extent to which they should attempt to balance exploration and exploitation or/and to maximize both simultaneously when seeking greater benefit from desorptive capacity.Originality/valueThis study extends desorptive capacity research to supply chain management. It responds to calls in the desorptive capacity literature for deeper understanding of the benefits of desorptive capacity and of the role organizational ambidexterity plays in the success of desorptive capacity. By analyzing the independent effects of the combined and balanced dimensions of ambidexterity, the authors advance conceptual and operational understanding of the role of ambidexterity needed in the literature.

Comprehending ambidexterity in the emerging-market context: the moderating role of learning capability and environmental dynamism on e-commerce firms' performance

The popularity of the ambidexterity construct has grown in recent years but remains ill-defined owing to the lack of supporting theoretical research. This study aims to comprehend the ambidexterity construct in the context of an emerging market. The two dimensions of ambidexterity - combined ambidexterity and balanced ambidexterity - are studied. The balanced dimension corresponds to an organisation's efforts in maintaining a balance between exploitative and exploratory activities, while the combined dimension corresponds to the combined strength of both these activities. We empirically analyse both dimensions in an Indian e-commerce scenario regarding their relationship with firm performance and also examine the moderating effect of learning capability and environmental dynamism. We reason that a firms' learning capability impacts both dimensions and firms should focus on both external and internal knowledge to benefit from ambidexterity efforts. We also provide implications for scholars and practitioners and suggest some likely research avenues.

Ambidexterity and Organizational Resilience of Telecommunication Firms in Port Harcourt, Rivers State

This study examined the relationship between ambidexterity and organizational resilience among telecommunication firms operating in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Cross sectional research design was adopted in studying the four selected telecommunication firms. The number of respondents engaged for this study is forty (40) functional unit managers at the head offices of the firms studied. From the field survey, we retrieved and analyzed forty (40) copies of questionnaire using Spearman’s Rank order correlation coefficient statistical tool which was adopted in order to determine the relationship existing between the variables. The findings reveal that the dimensions of ambidexterity namely; exploration and exploitation exhibited significant relationship with organizational resilience. We then concluded that organizations that are ambidextrous in their leadership, structures/designs and in the utilization of dynamic capabilities possessed are resilient. This gave rise to our recommendation that organizations operating in this era of stiff competition should adopt exploitative and explorative strategies so as to effectively utilize their current competencies as well as being strategically positioned to take advantage of opportunities in the business environment in order to remain competitive and resilient.