• Knowledge Management Research
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.95-115
• /
• 2015

This paper attempts to delineate and analyze the relationship between organizational search activities and organizational ambidexterity. A growing number of studies confirm that organizational ambidexterity is important for firm survival and long-term prosperity. However, research on how to achieve ambidexterity is still limited. To date, structural separation, contextul ambidexterity, and top management team attributes are proposed and examined as major antecedents of organizational ambidexterity. In this paper, I argue that orgnizational search may influence ambidexterity through its effect on exxploratory innovation and exploitative innovation. Since little study has been paid to uncover the relationship between knowledge search and ambidexterity, I develop theoretical arguments and propose some propositions rather than examine hypotheses. The propositions developed in the study are as follows; P1: The breadth of internal search is positively associated with exploratory innovation; P2: The breadth of external search has a reverse U-shaped relationship with exploratory innovation; P3: The depth of internal search is positively associated with exploitative innovation; P4: The depth of external search has a reverse U-shaped relationship with exploitative innovation; P5: The interaction between internal search breadth and internal search depth is positively associated with organizational ambidexterity; P6: The interaction between external search breadth and external search depth is positively associated with organizational ambidexterity. Based on the above propositions, I suggest some considerations for empirical research and propose avenues for future research.

• Knowledge Management Research
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.51-73
• /
• 2016

The organizational ambidexterity has been emerging as the way to gain competitive advantage in turbulent environment. The concept of ambidexterity is simultaneously accomplishing the balance between the activities of exploration and exploitation, and overcoming their conflicting tension. The beneficial merits of ambidexterity has been investigated in innovation, financial performance, strategic management, and etc. Our study focused on the impact of ambidextrous activities on creative performance. Although three ambidextrous modes-structural ambidexterity, contextual ambidexterity, and sequential ambidexterity-have been already acknowledged, scant studies suggested the specific mechanisms to achieve ambidexterity in practice at the operating level. To address the issue we performed the semantic network analysis on the basis of the previous literatures prescribing ambidexterity theory. We took interview with 21 teams to explore behaviors of teams from the ambidextrous perspective, and then interpreted the relationship among words which appeared in the interview. This study found the appropriate mechanism which alleviate tension revealed by exploitation and exploration exist as practical reality. We demonstrated how these ambidextrous mechanisms can be used to generate the creative performance as well as examined various antecedents. These findings would contribute to the more fine-grained understanding of organizational ambidexterity, especially in conjunction with organizational creativity.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.270-280
• /
• 2022

There has been a stream of literature studying moderators of the relationship between organizational ambidexterity and firm performance, but there remains a lack of research on moderators with a strategic perspective. We examined the effect of organizational ambidexterity on a firm's long-term performance and the moderating effect of a firm's relative exploration and exploitation based on a sample of 8,916 firms. We found a positive relationship between organizational ambidexterity and long-term performance measured by Tobin's q. The results also suggest that a firm's relative exploration positively moderates the relationship between organizational ambidexterity and long-term performance, whereas exploitation negatively moderates this relationship. We contribute to the current ambidexterity literature by integrating it with strategy literature. We found that the positive relationship between organizational ambidexterity and long-term performance is enlarged and long-lasting when a firm is a differentiator. In contrast, this positive relationship is lessened and short-lasting when a firm is a cost-leader.

• Journal of Distribution Science
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.13-23
• /
• 2019

Purpose - Corporate activities for enhancing and improving corporate performance can largely be divided into exploration and exploitation. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of implementing organizational ambidexterity in SMEs, including distribution firms, by reviewing the extant literature and deriving the basis on which this strategy affects the managerial performance. Research, design, and methodology - The study uses a systematic review methodology, which employs a structured process to discern trends and meaningful themes across a wide body of literature on specific subjects and research questions. This qualitative study examined the influence of ambidextrous strategies of SMEs on firm performance, and the results were synthesized from the literature. Results - Organizational ambidexterity in SMEs is related to the firm's managerial performance. However, it is crucial to know that there are many ways to generate an ambidextrous organization, and decisions about what method to choose should be based on the environmental aspects of the enterprise. Conclusions - The following aspects should be considered for execution; : making practical decisions based on accurate information about the resources the firm has, considering the organizational level of human resources for implementing organizational ambidexterity, and sharing specific performance goals.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.373-384
• /
• 2020

This study analyzed the 2017 human capital corporate panel data provided by the Korea research institute for vocational education. We examined the mediating effect of ambidexterity innovation on the relationship between employee training and organizational commitment. In addition, we examined the moderating effect of organizational communication between employee training and ambidexterity innovation. The hypothesis test results are as follows. Hypothesis1. Ambidexterity innovation has been shown to partially mediate the relationship between employee training and organizational commitment. Thus, Hypothesis1 was partially supported. Hypothesis2. Organizational communication has been shown to play a positive moderating role in the relationship between employee training and ambidexterity innovation. Thus, hypothesis2 was supported. Based on the empirical results, we suggest implications for academia and practical avenues.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.163-176
• /
• 2017

The fourth industrial revolution and creative economy are in the center of today's economic environments. In this context, venture companies make great efforts in achieving innovative capability for sustainable growth. Especially, in order to create the innovative capability or innovation performance, they are very much interested in obtaining such characteristics of organizational ambidexterity as exploration and exploitation. Thus, this study aims to study the organizational contextual ambidexterity as a key factor to create SMEs' performance and to conduct an empirical research with the data collected from domestic SMEs in order to find the antecedent and consequence of this ambidexterity. In so doing, we selected as an antecedent of contextual ambidexterity quality management practice, which is an innovative method of enterprise innovation and enterprise level, innovation performance (radical and incremental Innovation performance) as a consequence and ran a series of regression analyses. As a result, quality management practices such as quality circle activities have had positive effect on organizational ambidexterity, that is, exploration and exploration, and contextual ambidexterity has affected positively on innovation performance. It is also found that the contextual ambidexterity plays a full mediating role in the relationship between quality management practices and innovation performance. The results of this study suggest that contextual ambidexterity is essential to achieving organizational innovation performance and quality management activities such as quality circle should be preceded in order to stimulate or stimulate contextual ambidexterity.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.197-208
• /
• 2020

The firms must perform both exploitation activities that efficiently use current resources and exploration activities that capture new opportunities. A company that simultaneously performs two opposite attributes, exploitation and exploration activities, is called an 'Ambidexerity Organization' or 'Organizational ambidexterity', which is called the Ambidextrous organization. This study examines whether the key factors of entrepreneurial orientation affect a firm's performance using two-handed strategies, and empirically analyzes the moderating effects of environmental dynamics. The results show that the entrepreneurial orientation has a significant effect on a firm's performance in the Ambidextrous organization. In addition, the moderating effect of environmental dynamics showed a moderating effect on the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and organizational ambidexterity. This study not only suggests practical implications for SMEs, including venture firms and startups, but also has a significant impact on the relationship between organizational ambidexterity and a firm's performance. It is expected to make academic contributions by introducing variables and analyzing influential relationships.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.22-45
• /
• 2017

The successful management of software (SW) projects is a continuous concern to managers, which is attributed to the contradictory demands that most projects are facing; meeting user requirements within time and budget limit while flexibly dealing risks during the progress of the projects. The present study asserts project performance and risk mitigation are not tradeoff but to be achieved simultaneously, which is called SW project ambidexterity. Drawing on the literature on organizational behavior, hypotheses are developed speculating the relation among project performance, risk mitigation, team collective improvisation, team behavioral integration, and team diversity. Using empirical data collected from 102 SW project teams of 507 team members in South Korea, empirical analysis indicates team collective improvisation is a significant antecedent to SW project ambidexterity, playing a pivotal role to balance the contradictory demands. Furthermore, team behavioral integration positively influences the degree of team collective improvisation, and the magnitude of the relation is partially contingent on the team members' age and major diversity. The present study advances theory by providing a context specific explanation about the SW project ambidexterity and its precedents.

• Journal of the Korean Society for information Management
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.211-241
• /
• 2023

With rapidly changing technological implementation of operating systems of businesses, the Ministry of foreign affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of Korea (ROK) has been undergoing digital transformation to its overall operations with the intent to innovate information and knowledge management (IKM) strategies since the mid-2000s. However, assessment as to the effectiveness of implemented IKM has been inadequately analyzed. This study aims to assess the concepts and limitations of the MOFA's current IKM strategies and the methods it employs to deliver its IKM framework, in light of strengthening the organizational ambidexterity and absorptive capacity, and also fostering organizational innovation through a qualitative study that involves interviews and analysis of reports from MOFA. The MOFA's IKM possesses dynamic capabilities to adapt to changing digital technologies. However, the institution's IKM is constrained by limitations associated with the utilization of the IKM system such as a structure that handles confidential documents and a lack of a collaborative system for IKM, and external limitations such as changes in the domestic political situation governing MOFA's priorities and the hierarchy of government organizations. Consequently, developing the organizational ambidexterity and absorptive capacity was not possible. To develop an IKM framework for organizational innovation, the MOFA must devise a way to minimize the impact of external changes by overcoming internal limitations. To that end, a detailed study on the development of a practically usable IKM system should include establishing a dialogue between job groups and enhancing employee competency in preparation for a changing environment.

• Information Systems Review
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.167-182
• /
• 2020

Ambidexterity in organizations, in general, is interpreted as flexibility that enables organizational innovation, which is important for survival in a competitive market. It applies to individual workers as well since the ambidexterity of explorational and exploitational IS use will enable the flexible transition between dynamic and operational work, and hence, increase the work performance. The current study will therefore investigate the individual levels of exploratory and exploitative IS use, as well as the complementary relationship between exploratory and exploitative IS use. In a third step, the differential influence of IS on work performance will be evaluated. The current study validated that complementary fit of IS use exploration and IS use exploitation increases performance. Polynomial regression and surface analysis are used to validate the incongruence of IS use pattern. They showed that the incongruence of ambidexterity is composed of two types of divergent vs. convergent ambidexterity which depends on the type of work that need dynamic or operational capability.