Exploration, Exploitation and the Ambidextrous Organization - The Moderating Role of Environmental Competitiveness

Ambidextrous designs are organizational forms which are able to manage contradictory forms of organizational learning simultaneously. Superior performance is expected based on the ability to both explore new opportunities and exploit old certainties. While most research to date has focused on organizational structures, context and coordination mechanisms as internal antecedents for ambidexterity, there has also been some work including aspects of external organizational contexts. However, the role of environmental competitiveness for ambidexterity has remained quite unclear. Hence, this proposal focuses on the role of competitiveness environments for the ambidexterity concept. Different dimensions of exploration and exploitation are considered and testable hypotheses developed to enhance the understanding of the moderating role of environmental competitiveness on the ambidextrous organization.