A Leadership perspective to enabling organisational ambidexterity

Abstract

Innovation implies change which causes disruption. Ambidexterity is required to balance disruption and change with the additional prerequisite of stability to enhance efficiency, and it remains a challenge. However, each of these elements require specific processes and cultures. As such, organisations structure either through spatial or temporal separation. This is to ensure focus on both explore, required for innovation, and exploit that is needed for efficiency. What is not clear from literature is how leaders manage the ensuing changes, required within the organisational structure, to enable ambidexterity. This research sought to shed new light on how leaders manage the structural changes required within an organisation to support ambidexterity and as such fits into the inductive research approach. A qualitative, exploratory study through semi-structured interviews was completed to enhance the understanding of this understudied phenomenon. The research results build on the current understanding of ambidexterity, different operating models, integration mechanisms and possible organisational structures to enable both explore and exploit. A model was conceptualised, based on the research findings, that included leadership capabilities required to deal with both core business and new venture processes and structures as well as the integration of these disparate elements