The role of individual ambidexterity for organizational performance: examining effects of ambidextrous knowledge seeking
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The role of individual ambidexterity for organizational performance: examining effects of ambidextrous knowledge seeking and offering Benedikt Schnellbächer1 · Sven Heidenreich1
© The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Empirical research has confirmed positive effects of organizational ambidexterity for companies’ long-term performance. More recent research has shifted the focus from organizational level exploration and exploitation to the individual in order to understand psychological micro-foundations of individual ambidexterity. However, our current knowledge on how knowledge flows within individual ambidexterity are initiated and affect performance outcomes is limited. This study thus strives to shed light on the topic by introducing two mechanisms, namely ambidextrous knowledge seeking and ambidextrous knowledge offering, that capture how knowledge flows within individual ambidexterity are initiated. Based on surveydata from 415 employees, findings from structural equation modeling provide first empirical evidence that the focal constructs significantly affect knowledge accumulation on the department level as well as its performance. Finally, results from additional moderation analysis indicate, that ambidextrous knowledge offering leads to higher performance effects in environments characterized by the pursuit of radical innovations, while ambidextrous knowledge seeking is rather suited for environments with a focus on innovating incrementally. Keywords Exploration · Exploitation · Radical innovation JEL Classification O32 · D80 · D83
1 Introduction Past research on organizational ambidexterity highlights that long-term success depends on exploring new opportunities as well as simultaneously exploiting existing capabilities already used within the company (Andriopoulos and Lewis 2010; March 1991; Uotila 2018). Nowadays, companies face the challenge to exploit existing knowledge resources
* Benedikt Schnellbächer benedikt.schnellbaecher@uni‑saarland.de Sven Heidenreich Sven.Heidenreich@uni‑saarland.de 1
Saarland University, P.O. 15 11 50, 66041 Saarbrücken, Germany
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B. Schnellbächer, S. Heidenreich
and simultaneously to explore new resources to enhance their performance (Cohendet and Laurent 2007; He and Wong 2004). Specifically, the shift to mobile connectivity and collaboration exacerbates rather than ameliorates the challenge for companies to provide structures in support of exploring new knowledge as well as simultaneously utilizing existing knowledge at an individual level (Bresciani et al. 2018; Cash et al. 2008). After a vast array of earlier research has focused on organizational ambidexterity, recent research shifted the focus on exploration and exploitation to the granular level of employees in organizations (Gurtner and Reinhardt 2016; Schnellbächer et al. 2019; Suh et al. 2019). A focal point of individual ambidexterity is the utilization of exploration and exploitation at an individual level to foster knowledge accumulation and enhance performance (Mom et al. 2007).
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