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Innovation ambidexterity is crucial for fostering growth and gaining a competitive advantage in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Previous research indicates that achieving a balance between exploration and exploitation is a multifaceted phenomenon occurring across various levels. This paper aims to examine the influence of individual, organizational and institutional factors on the ambidextrous innovation of Chinese niche leaders using a configurational perspective.

This study uses secondary data collected from 69 Chinese niche leaders in the new equipment manufacturing industry. The authors use fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to investigate how owner openness, age, digitization, the formal institutional environment and the informal institutional environment jointly influence innovation ambidexterity.

By using fuzzy set analysis, this study categorizes combinations of interdependent factors that promote innovation ambidexterity. In particular, the authors pinpoint three configurations that foster high innovation ambidexterity and two configurations that lack such high levels of innovation ambidexterity. The analysis results suggest that innovation paradoxes in SMEs are linked to a nested system comprising leadership, organizational factors and the institutional environment.

This study elucidates the mechanism of innovation ambidexterity through a configurational perspective. This research proposes and validates a framework that enables SMEs to develop ambidextrous innovation capabilities, thereby integrating organizational ambidexterity theory and shedding light on the intricately complex nature of innovation ambidexterity.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between strategy intent (product-service innovation intention) and outcome (product-service innovation outcome), and the role that external sources of innovation play in influencing this relationship.

Using data obtained from the community innovation survey, we apply a logit regression to a sample of 1,419 Portuguese firms. By examining the moderating effect of open innovation breadth, we assess how the relationship between differentiation intent and outcome is contingent upon the involvement of external stakeholders.

Our findings reveal that the relationship between differentiation intent and outcome is contingent upon the moderating effect of open innovation breadth. Our analysis suggests that the negative influence of different sources of innovation can be addressed by adopting a paradox lens.

This research provides valuable insights for managers. By simultaneously pursuing a differentiation strategy and engaging in collaboration with external sources, firms may compromise their ability to effectively differentiate their offer. Managers should consider the potential tensions arising from internal and external stakeholder relationships to optimize their innovation strategies.

This study contributes to the existing literature by shedding light on the role of external innovation sources in influencing the relationship between differentiation intent and outcome and the importance that information systems may have in this relationship. By exploring the moderating effect of open innovation breadth, we provide a nuanced understanding of how firms can navigate organizational tensions and leverage innovation for competitive advantage.

Cross-cultural cognitive paradoxes have frequently broken the existing boundaries of knowledge and stimulated demands for knowledge creation (KC), and such paradoxes have triggered and will continue to trigger novel risks in the context of international business (IB). Given the nascency of relevant issues, this study aims to develop a more comprehensive understanding of KC across cultures by proposing a Yin-Yang dialectical systems theory of KC as micro-foundation to more systematically frame the risk/paradox-resolving mechanism elicited by cultural collisions.

This paper is conceptual in nature. The authors first critically review the literature to lay a broad theoretical foundation. Integrating the philosophy- and praxis-based views, the authors reposition knowledge as a Yin-Yang dialectical system of knowing, with yin representing the tacit while yang represents the explicit. Next, the authors justify the underling logic of realising KC through a contradiction-resolving process. On this basis, the authors draw upon the Yijing’s Later Heaven Sequence (LHS) as the source domain of a heuristic metaphor to reconceptualise KC as a dynamic capability in the IB context.

Using the LHS paradigm to metaphorically map the intricate patterns of interaction and interconnectivity among the involved individuals, organisations and all related stakeholders, this research identifies and theorises the overall dynamic capability of KC in the IB context, which comprises five sets of processes: contradiction, conflict, communication, compromise and conversion.

This research highlights that KC is simultaneously activated and constrained by human actions as well as by the socially constructed context in which it emerges, which helps individuals, organisations and policy makers more clearly frame the novel risks induced by cross-cultural cognitive conflicts in the IB context.

The authors synthesise Yin-Yang dialectics with the approach of collective phronesis, proposing a novel, praxis-oriented Yin-Yang dialectical systems theory of KC. It provides a deeper understanding of the epistemological paradox inherent in all knowledge, thus enabling KC to be rationalised by a sounder logical reasoning. By fusing the macro and micro perspectives on KC, the authors also enrich existing theory and future theory building in the domain of knowledge management.

This paper aims to explore the relationship between owner-manager or leader’s ambidextrous leadership style and its effect on human resource management (HRM) practices, contextual ambidexterity and knowledge-intensive small- and medium-enterprises (SMEs) strategic agility.

This study presents an in-depth qualitative case study analysis of two knowledge-intensive SMEs from India’s information technology and health-care products industry serving a range of global clients. Using the theoretical lenses of empowerment-focused HRM practices, ambidextrous leaders, contextual ambidexterity and strategic agility, semi-structured interview data of leaders, managers and employees of the case organizations were analysed. Through a two-staged analytical process, we abductively developed a novel conceptual framework at the intersection of the above theoretical lenses.

The findings suggest that the knowledge-intensive SME’s strategic agility, ambidexterity and empowerment-focussed HRM approach was influenced by the owner-manager or leader’s ambidextrous leadership style and their philosophy towards managing people and had a positive impact in creating a culture of trust, participation, risk-taking and openness, and led to delivering innovative products and services as well as several positive employee-level outcomes.

Recent literature reviews on HRM In SMEs highlight several gaps, including the impact of owner-manager or leader’s philosophy of managing people in shaping HRM practices and employee outcomes. This paper thus adds to the existing literature on HRM and knowledge-intensive SMEs.

Within the scope of broadening participation and developing diverse talents in STEM leadership, this paper aims to deliver a research study that explores faculty leaders’ caring intelligence as STEM leadership intelligence. STEM leadership intelligence is the knowledge, skills, traits and aptitude essential to effective leadership in STEM education.

A previously developed STEM caring-oriented academic managerial leadership framework (SCAMLF) and a typology of STEM faculty leadership styles were used to thematically analyze the caring intelligence and leadership qualities of STEM faculty leaders. Interview transcripts of 18 STEM faculty leaders at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), provided by the Center for the Advancement of STEM Leadership (CASL), were used as data in this study.

The empirical evidence gained from this study highlighted important themes, descriptors and narratives for exploring caring intelligence and leadership intelligence of STEM faculty leadership in HBCUs.

Although the generalizability of the study is limited because of the sample size, STEM caring was found to be the most common dimension present in the reflections of participating STEM faculty leaders with diverse leadership styles. Implications for future research on STEM leadership intelligence were discussed.

Studying caring intelligence as a form of leadership intelligence provides a new and innovative means of assessing STEM leadership intelligence. Caring intelligence can be employed to predict the mindset, performance and behaviors of STEM faculty leaders.

(Digital) servitization, referring to service-driven strategies and their increasing implementation in manufacturing, is one of the most rapidly growing areas in industrial service research. However, the cultural change involved in successful servitization is a phenomenon that is widely observed but poorly understood. This research aims to clarify the processes of social construction as manufacturers change their organizational culture to transform into industrial service providers.

This research takes a systematic approach to integrate disparate literature on servitization into a cohesive framework for cultural change, which is purposefully augmented by rationale culled from organizational learning and sensemaking literature.

The organizational learning framework for cultural change in servitization introduces a dynamic perspective on servitizing organizations by explaining social processes between organizational and member-level cultural properties. It identifies three major cultural orientations toward service, digital and learning that govern successful servitization.

This research contributes to the servitization literature by presenting a new approach to reframe and explore cultural change processes across multiple levels, thus providing a concrete starting point for further research in this area.

An increasing number of last mile deliveries (LMDs) pose many sustainability challenges that retailers and logistics service providers (LSPs) can address. Using cognitive frames (CFs) as a lens, this study explored how retail and LSP managers make sense of sustainable LMDs.

The methodological approach used is a multiple embedded case study. The data were obtained from interviews with retailers and LSPs, supplemented with secondary data for triangulation.

The findings present the operational aspects of LMDs that managers associate with sustainability and indicate that retail and LSP managers frame sustainability primarily as emission reduction. Managers indicate an externalization of responsibility and a compartmentalization of the supply chain, in which social sustainability is not associated with the last mile. Most managers indicate hierarchical CFs regarding sustainability, in which sustainability is an important topic but is subordinate to economic interests.

Collaboration between retailers, LSPs and other stakeholders is viewed as challenging but could alleviate some of the sustainability shortcomings and aid in the paradoxical framing and inclusion of social issues.

A conceptualization of managerial CFs for sustainable LMDs, together with empirical frame indicators and three propositions, is presented, providing novel insights into how paradoxical CFs could make LMDs more sustainable. This approach illuminates the possibilities for how to untangle the operational manifestations of managerial framing and adds to the empirical exploration of CFs in supply chain management.

This article provides commentary from well-known family business researchers on what they have learnt about the family business field and tips for the future.

Well-known family business management researchers were contacted in order to provide their feedback on the field of family business management. Their responses were then curated into an article that can help others learn from their advice.

The family business management researchers provided suggestions on how to succeed in the field of family business management and advice for current and future researchers. Thereby helping to advance the field and provide new novel research ideas that can help science as well as practice.

This article is amongst the first to provide verbatim advice from the leading family business management scholars. Thus, providing original and innovative ideas about what is needed in the field of family business management.

This study seeks to enhance productivity, motivation and well-being of workers by improving decision-making processes. Using inner knowledge management (IKM), this study aims to identify, manage and transform unconscious beliefs and negative emotions that limit decision-making processes.

The methodology used is empirical research, analyzing multiple cases qualitatively and using the T-test statistical model to analyze the hypotheses. The study tests the relation between different limiting beliefs and negative emotions that influence decision-making processes.

This study shows that IKM is positively related to the productivity, motivation and well-being of workers.

The study is limited to workers who are mentally healthy, who work in teams and who seek professional help to achieve their goals.

The results indicate that there is a lot of potential to be explored applying IKM in companies and organizations. Specifically, this study proves that there are several inner knowledge assets that constrain the workers’ potential and therefore affect the efficiency of businesses.

The results have strong implications for how companies and organizations can create great value for themselves and their workers.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first data-based study using an IKM model. The importance of this study opens the door to further exploration of the effects on IKM on productivity, motivation and the general well-being of workers.

Resiliency is essential for achieving the necessary level of performance and ensuring the survival of a new business during difficult times. However, neither this characteristic nor its antecedents have been exhaustively studied. Using a configuration approach, this study aims to analyze the neuropsychological and business-related characteristics of entrepreneurs that may explain their resilience during the business development process.

Using the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), the authors investigated distinct characteristics of Costa Rican agro-entrepreneurs with high levels of entrepreneurial resilience. The fsQCA methodology identifies combinations of causal measures that result in the outcome.

From the mixture of configurations, the authors found four combinations of individual’s characteristics that explain the profile of a resilient agro-entrepreneur.

This work contributes to the literature on agricultural entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial resilience. This study identifies four distinct combinations of entrepreneurs’ characteristics that produce entrepreneurial resilience in the agricultural industry. Moreover, it incorporates individuals’ business-related attributes into examining characteristics combinations that affect resilience. Also, this research offers agro-entrepreneurs’ stakeholders, valuable insights to develop more resilient entrepreneurs.

La resiliencia es esencial para lograr el nivel de rendimiento necesario y garantizar la supervivencia de un nuevo negocio en tiempos difíciles. Sin embargo, ni esta característica ni sus antecedentes han sido exhaustivamente estudiados. Empleando un enfoque de configuración, este estudio busca analizar las características neuropsicológicas y empresariales de los emprendedores que pueden explicar su resiliencia durante el proceso de desarrollo empresarial.

Utilizando el análisis cualitativo comparativo de conjuntos difusos (fsQCA, por sus siglas en inglés), investigamos distintas características de los agroemprendedores costarricenses con altos niveles de resiliencia emprendedora. La metodología fsQCA identifica combinaciones de medidas causales que originan un fenómeno o resultado.

A partir de la mezcla de configuraciones, encontramos cuatro combinaciones de características del individuo que explican el perfil de un agroemprendedor resiliente.

Nuestro trabajo contribuye a la literatura sobre emprendimiento agrícola y resiliencia emprendedora. Este estudio identifica cuatro combinaciones distintas de las características de los emprendedores que producen resiliencia emprendedora en la industria agrícola. Además, incorpora las características empresariaes de los individuos al examinar las combinaciones de características que afectan la resiliencia. También, nuestra investigación ofrece a los públicos de interés información valiosa para desarrollar emprendedores más resilientes.

A resiliência é essencial para alcançar o nível de desempenho necessário e garantir a sobrevivência de um novo negócio em tempos difíceis. Porém, nem esta característica nem seus antecedentes foram exaustivamente estudados. Empregando uma abordagem de configuração, este estudo busca analisar as características neuropsicológicas e empresariais de empreendedores que podem explicar sua resiliência no processo de desenvolvimento de negócios.

Usando a análise comparativa qualitativa do conjunto difuso (fsQCA), investigamos características distintas de agroempreendedores costarriquenhos com altos níveis de resiliência empreendedora. A metodologia fsQCA identifica combinações de medidas causais que causam um fenômeno ou resultado.

A partir da mistura de configurações, encontramos quatro combinações de características individuais que explicam o perfil de um agroempreendedor resiliente.

Nosso trabalho contribui para a literatura sobre empreendedorismo agrícola e resiliência empreendedora. Este estudo identifica quatro combinações distintas de características dos empreendedores que produzem resiliência empreendedora na indústria agrícola. Além disso, incorpora as características de negócios dos indivíduos ao examinar as combinações de características que afetam a resiliência. Adicionalmente, nossa pesquisa oferece às partes interessadas dos agroempreendedores insights valiosos para desenvolver empreendedores mais resilientes.