Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-1-2009
Abstract
Generating sustainable competitive advantage, a perennial challenge for managers, requires organizational ambidexterity--the ability to simultaneously align business units towards unified, corporate strategic goals and adapt to the challenges of the external environment. Prior research on the antecedents of ambidexterity has identified cohesive but distinct independent variables and posited inanimate organizational mediating mechanisms. This research contributes to the field in three ways. First, we examine how harnessing opposing forces can yield important synergistic benefits, by modeling the interaction of management practices of exploration and exploitation on the input side and of adapting and aligning on the output dimension. Second, we propose individual and institutional skills as a mediating mechanism, emphasizing human capital rather than organizational structure, systems and processes. Finally, while confirming the value of organizational learning in developing individual and institutional skills, we show that value is lost when an organization fails to apply the skills and capabilities to its challenges. Rigorous testing of the hypotheses using structural equation modeling provides a robust platform for future researchers to build on the results and generalize the findings.
Keywords
organizational learning, ambidexterity, exploration and exploitation, individual and institutional skills
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
Giridharadas, Radhashyam, "Harnessing Opposing Forces to Achieve Organizational Ambidexterity" (2009). Student Scholarship. 231.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/231