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This paper develops a practice approach to institutional ambidexterity. In doing so, it first explores the ‘promise’ of institutional ambidexterity as a concept to address shortcomings with the treatment of complexity in institutional theory. However, we argue that this is an empty promise because ambidexterity remains an organizational level construct that neither connects to the institutional level, or to the practical actions and interactions within which individuals enact institutions. We therefore suggest a practice approach that we develop into a conceptual framework for fulfilling the promise of institutional ambidexterity. The second part of the paper outlines what a practice approach is and the variation in practice-based insights into institutional ambidexterity that we might expect in contexts of novel or routine institutional complexity. Finally, the paper concludes with a research agenda that highlights the potential of practice to extend institutional theory through new research approaches to well-established institutional theory questions, interests and established-understandings.

This paper develops a practice approach to institutional ambidexterity. In doing so, it first explores the ‘promise’ of institutional ambidexterity as a concept to address shortcomings with the treatment of complexity in institutional theory. However, we argue that this is an empty promise because ambidexterity remains an organizational level construct that neither connects to the institutional level, or to the practical actions and interactions within which individuals enact institutions. We therefore suggest a practice approach that we develop into a conceptual framework for fulfilling the promise of institutional ambidexterity. The second part of the paper outlines what a practice approach is and the variation in practice-based insights into institutional ambidexterity that we might expect in contexts of novel or routine institutional complexity. Finally, the paper concludes with a research agenda that highlights the potential of practice to extend institutional theory through new research approaches to well-established institutional theory questions, interests and established-understandings.

This study aims to develop a cross-level research model to explore the relationship between team-level contextual ambidexterity and employees' enterprise system (ES) ambidextrous use, and the mediating role of user empowerment in and moderating effect of leader–member exchange (LMX) on the relationship.

This study conducted a sequential mixed-methods approach, which included a quantitative survey and a qualitative case study. The survey, administered to 244 employees in 59 groups from a financial institution, analyzed the relationships between contextual ambidexterity and ES ambidextrous use. Furthermore, the cross-level mediation and moderation effects were explored. The case study, involving nine members in three groups from a manufacturing firm, served to reinforce the validity of the survey results.

Team-level contextual ambidexterity can affect ES ambidextrous use directly or through the partial mediator of user empowerment. Furthermore, this study highlights the moderating role of LMX in the relationship between contextual ambidexterity and user empowerment, thereby improving ES ambidextrous use.

This study contributes to the literature by uncovering the cross-level effect of contextual ambidexterity on ES ambidextrous use through user empowerment, thereby extending the ambidexterity perspective and self-determination theory to the ES context. Additionally, this study provides nuanced insights into how to enhance ES ambidextrous use by revealing the moderating role and moderated mediation effect of LMX anchoring on social exchange theory.

The aim of this study is to empirically test the link between employee ambidexterity and two supportive organizational cultures, namely, a perceived culture of empowerment and a knowledge-sharing culture. Furthermore, the paper addresses the mechanisms through which these supportive organizational cultures work to enable employees to engage in ambidextrous behaviour. Specifically, the role of intrinsic motivation is investigated.

Data were obtained from 136 managers employed in the five main Belgian service sectors.

The findings indicate that a perceived culture of empowerment is positively related to intrinsic motivation, which in turn facilitates employee ambidexterity. Also, a moderating effect of extrinsic motivation on employee ambidextrous behaviour is found. At the same time, a perceived knowledge-sharing culture is having no effect on ambidexterity or intrinsic motivation.

Insights into the roles of individuals in achieving ambidexterity help to advance the theoretical understanding of how a supportive organizational context may enhance employee ambidexterity.

Despite the growing body of research on antecedents of ambidexterity, there is still lack of thorough understanding of how a supportive organizational context may enhance employee ambidexterity and the roles of individuals in achieving ambidexterity. This is one of the first studies that investigate these factors in relation to individual level ambidexterity (as opposed to organization level ambidexterity).

This study, a conceptual paper, aims an answer the question, how significant cluster ambidexterity is for the resilience of individual clusters.

The authors draw up an abductive synopsis of empirical information and relevant theoretical sources. A case study is used to illustrate some of the findings.

The results of the analysis show that the ambidexterity of a cluster can contribute to its resilience when adverse external developments arise. Ambidexterity proves to be simultaneously a common strategy of key cluster actors and a mechanism for coping with critical situations and developments that can be activated by the cluster actors and may – eventually – lead to cluster resilience. While ambidexterity does not guarantee cluster survival, it can contribute significantly to their economic resilience under adverse conditions.

The concept is developed on a limited empirical basis and would need to be tested and deepened by comparing a wide range of case studies from different clusters.

A better understanding of the importance of ambidexterity for the development of industrial clusters contributes to a better fine-tuning of cluster support policies.

Ambidexterity as a concept originating from business administration has so far only been rudimentarily tapped for empirical and theoretical cluster research. The paper identifies and develops a path how this could be accomplished to a greater extent in the future.

Boundary-spanning managers need to recognize, learn and implement external knowledge while balancing the conflicts emerging from new and existing knowledge. The authors' study explores how a paradox mindset (PM) and a learning focus [learning goal orientation (LGO)] promote two managerial capabilities: absorptive capacity (ACAP) and ambidexterity. The authors' study explores the inter-relationship between the mindsets and the capabilities required for innovative work behavior.

The authors use survey data from 113 technology/product managers employed in boundary-spanning roles in a large Indian automotive equipment manufacturing firm. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis and bootstrapping (using PROCESS MACRO) are used to test for direct and mediation effects respectively.

Both PM and LGO are found to affect individual ambidexterity (IA) via the mediation of individual absorptive capacity (IACAP). While IACAP partially mediates the relationship between PM and IA, there is full mediation in the case of LGO.

The authors focus on a sample of managers from a single, large Indian automotive firm. Although single case studies can help provide novel conceptual insights and to test theoretical relationships, future research needs to confirm the authors' findings in different types of firms.

This study shows how a learning orientation and the ability to be energized from conflicts help boundary-spanning managers produce innovative outcomes.

The authors reveal fresh insights on how both ACAP and ambidexterity share the focus on learning and paradox management. The authors explicate how LGO and PM uniquely impact the critical capabilities of IACAP and IA for boundary-spanning managers.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the emerging theory of ambidexterity by developing measures to assess employee ambidexterity. Specifically, it identifies and tests the importance of the relationship between the organisational context and employee ambidexterity within small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The research used a survey method to investigate SMEs in Nigeria. Two hundred SMEs were selected from across Nigeria to participate in the study and 72 companies responded, representing a 36 per cent response rate. The study sample comprised 398 shop-floor employees from 72 small and medium-sized manufacturing and service organisations.

The paper tests a model that sheds insight into the linkages between the organisational context, employee ambidexterity and employee engagement. Specifically, the model portrays significant relationships that exist between organisational context, employee ambidexterity and employee engagement. The results show that understanding the appropriate organisational contexts improves employee ambidexterity. Therefore, SMEs with the appropriate organisational contexts for employee ambidexterity and employee engagement will increase their potential for growth and survival.

The paper develops a conceptual model of the organisational context that improves employee ambidexterity and employee engagement.

The purpose of the paper is to expand on the existing theory of ambidexterity by analysing its implications for organisations that employ total quality management.

The analysis of relevant theoretical and empirical studies on ambidexterity and total quality management enables us to reflect on the common elements, facilitating factors and synergy that exists between both fields.

Thanks to the synergy between its principles and practices, total quality management can act as a platform in creating an ambidextrous context, in addition to generating ambidextrous management capabilities and ambidextrous organisational skills. However, no relationship has been found between the application of TQM and structural ambidexterity.

An analysis of existing studies has enabled the extraction of some proposals which could be used in future research.

The synergy between TQM principles and practices, their disparate influence on ambidexterity, the range and depth of applying TQM principles and practices – above all those that are included in a human context and the opening of new markets – means that these factors are key elements to bear in mind for those organisations that wish to maximise the potential of TQM in order to foster ambidexterity.

Given the extent to which this type of management has been applied over the last 20 years the social impact of this study is relevant.

This study opens up a new line of research into ambidexterity and, despite the subject having been analysed extensively in conceptual and empirical terms, until now its relationship with total quality management has yet remained unexplored.

Ambidexterity is the ability of an organization to balance exploitation and exploration. Ambidextrous organizations perform better in managing productivity-innovation dilemma. Although the literature on ambidexterity has expanded, much less attention has been paid to the antecedents of ambidexterity. The purpose of this paper is to explore the antecedents of ambidexterity and develop a multi-level taxonomy of the antecedents.

Based on an extensive review of the literature, the paper develops criteria for categorizing the antecedents and then develops a taxonomy of the antecedents.

Two taxonomy frameworks have been developed: one is based on infrastructural elements, including organizational structures, processes, and context, while the other is based on different organizational levels (i.e. organizational, group, and individual) at which different antecedents exist. Most of the antecedents of ambidexterity reported in the literature fall in the category of “processes” – both individual/social and technical/procedural.

The paper provides an enhanced understanding of the antecedents of ambidexterity, how they relate to each other, and how they can be grouped together. The framework can help managers to apply the antecedents at various organizational levels, resulting in a more structured approach to ambidexterity.

The key contribution of the paper is in providing a multi-level understanding of the antecedents of ambidexterity. To the best of the author’s knowledge, such a taxonomy of the antecedents of ambidexterity has not been provided in previous publications.

The purpose of this paper is to report on lab experiments conducted to determine what impact managerial top-down knowledge transfer has on a middle manager’s individual ambidexterity and decision performance.

The authors designed an experimental approach using a business simulator to test the hypotheses with middle managers. The methodological approach provides the authors with a framework to enhance the middle manager’s understanding of how to attain superior short-term financial results by exploiting current resources, in addition to mastering new strategies to avoid a potential business bankruptcy.

The results suggest that top-down managerial knowledge inflow benefits middle manager strategic decision making, as well as his/her short- and long-term performance. Nonetheless, the best short-term results were achieved by those middle managers that mastered both exploitation and exploration activities simultaneously.

The contribution of this paper is to identify and test a control mechanism called top-down inflows that enhance middle manager’s ability to exploit current resources to increase financial performance, and exploring new strategies to avoid a business bankruptcy.