Publication: Cannibalize and combine? the impact of ambidextrous innovation on organizational outcomes under market competition
Program
KU-Authors
KU Authors
Co-Authors
Saaksjarvi, Maria
Hultink, Erik Jan
Advisor
Publication Date
Language
English
Type
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract
How can a firm achieve ambidexterity? The present study proposes that the answer to this question lies in the distinction between ambidextrous culture and ambidextrous innovation. Drawing upon organizational learning theory and the source-position-performance framework, we propose that ambidexterity requires the adoption of two important organizational cultures, willingness to cannibalize (WTCA) and willingness to combine existing knowledge (WTCO), which allow firms to attain superior performance through the implementation of both radical and incremental (i.e., ambidextrous) innovations. Our major contribution lies in addressing the important debate in the literature on whether exploration and exploitation are complements or substitutes. Furthermore, competition intensity is a key condition that determines the degree to which the two types of organizational cultures and the two types of innovations are necessary for superior firm performance. The study uses data from multiple respondents from 199 Chinese firms. Our findings thus suggest that WTCA and WTCO, which are traditionally treated as opposites, are complements in generating radical innovations.
Description
Source:
Industrial Marketing Management
Publisher:
Elsevier
Keywords:
Subject
Business, Management