textPrior studies have emphasized that structural attributes are crucial to simultaneously pursuing exploration and exploitation, yet our understanding of antecedents of ambidexterity is still limited. Structural differentiation can help ambidextrous organizations to maintain multiple inconsistent and conflicting demands; however, differentiated exploratory and exploitative activities need to mobilized, coordinated, integrated, and applied. Based on this idea, we delineate formal and informal senior team integration mechanisms (i.e. contingency rewards and social integration) and formal and informal organizational integration mechanisms (i.e. cross-functional interfaces and connectedness) and examine how they mediate the relationship between structural differentiation and ambidexterity. Overall, our findings suggest that the previously asserted direct effect of structural differentiation on ambidexterity operates through informal senior team (i.e. senior team social integration) and formal organizational (i.e. cross-functional interfaces) integration mechanisms. Through this richer explanation and empirical assessment, we contribute to a greater clarity and better understanding of how organizations may effectively pursue exploration and exploitation simultaneously to achieve ambidexterity.

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Structural Differentiation and Ambidexterity: The Mediating Role of Integration Mechanisms

Impact of ambidexterity of blockchain technology and social factors on new product development: a supply chain and Industry 4.0 perspective

Policies and exploitative and exploratory innovations of the wind power industry in China: The role of technological path dependence

PurposeThe authors aim to measure the effects of ambidextrous innovation and its mix strategy on organizational obsolescence with the moderating roles of environmental turbulence.Design/methodology/approachHierarchical regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses on the basis of the survey data of 198 firm employees in China.FindingsBoth exploratory and exploitative innovations significantly restrain organizational obsolescence. The complementary strategy of ambidextrous innovation is negatively correlated to organizational obsolescence, but the impact of balanced strategy is not significant. Environmental turbulence negatively moderates the relationship between exploratory innovation and organizational obsolescence, whereas it cannot moderate the effect of exploitative innovation.Originality/valueThe empirical and conceptual findings have important implications for organizations countering obsolescence through the construction of a mix strategy of ambidextrous innovation. This study enriches and extends obsolescence theory by introducing the joint mechanism of ambidextrous innovation and environmental turbulence.

The impacts of ambidextrous innovation on organizational obsolescence in turbulent environments

This paper seeks to instigate a new area of research in the EPI (Early Purchasing Involvement) literature around the question: How should a purchasing function evolve in order to identify and capture innovation in the supplier market? Particularly, we attempt to characterize the specificities of the Innovation-Purchasing functions, an emerging function acting in the fuzzy-front-end of projects. The contribution of this paper is a reification of the role of an Innovation-Purchasing function in an Open Innovation context, through the description of Early Purchasing Involvement in the Innovation (EPI 2) agenda. Design/methodology/approach In this empirical paper, the data is collected through an internal benchmarking study within a multinational multidivisional firm evolving in the automotive sector where a Purchasing function dedicated to Innovation is established in its various divisions. It is then analysed using the framework developed by Van Echtelt et al. (2008) to specify which activities are necessary to manage Early Supplier Involvement (ESI). Findings Our study reveals similarities and differences between the observed practices of what we call Early Purchasing Involvement in Innovation (EPI 2) and the more classical EPI activities in an NPD context. Specifically, we observed an enforced strategic role of EPI 2 that influences the innovation process by aligning it to supplier market capabilities and purchasing strategies. Research limitations/implications The research is based on a specific case study in the automotive sector. Further studies could consider some other contexts or test the applicability of the findings to other industries. Practical implications The implications of the purchasing function is an emerging topic of interest in a lot of industries. The insights developed in this paper help such firms recognise the specific issues and contents to support EPI 2 through some organisational decisions. Originality/value As an in-depth study of a single company dealing with an emerging topic, this research responds to calls for studies embedded in reality.

Shades of the Innovation-Purchasing function – the missing link of Open Innovation

Managing tensions between exploitative and exploratory innovation through purchasing function ambidexterity

https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02891790/document

Managing tensions between exploitative and exploratory innovation through purchasing function ambidexterity Managing tensions between exploitative and exploratory innovation through purchasing function ambidexterity

François Constant

Papers

Managing tensions between exploitative and exploratory innovation through purchasing function ambidexterity

Managing tensions between exploitative and exploratory innovation through purchasing function ambidexterity Managing tensions between exploitative and exploratory innovation through purchasing function ambidexterity

New competences enhancing Procurement's contribution to innovation and sustainability