100% satisfaction guarantee Immediately available after payment Both online and in PDF No strings attached
logo-home
Previously searched by you
Previously searched by you
logo
Summary Gibson, C. B., & Birkinshaw, J. (2004). The Antecedents, Consequences, and Mediating Role of Organizational Ambidexterity. Academy of Management Journal, 47(2), 209–226. https://doi.org/10.2307/ $6.43   Add to cart
Quickly navigate to
Preview
  2.  
  3. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU)
  4.  
  5. Strategic Entrepreneurship & Organizational Renewal

Summary

Summary Gibson, C. B., & Birkinshaw, J. (2004). The Antecedents, Consequences, and Mediating Role of Organizational Ambidexterity. Academy of Management Journal, 47(2), 209–226. https://doi.org/10.2307/
 54 views  1 purchase
  • Course
  • Strategic Entrepreneurship & Organizational Renewal
  • Institution
  • Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU)

Full summary of Gibson, C. B., & Birkinshaw, J. (2004). The Antecedents, Consequences, and Mediating Role of Organizational Ambidexterity. Academy of Management Journal, 47(2), 209–226.

Preview 2 out of 5  pages

Document information

  • October 7, 2021
  • 5
  • 2021/2022
  • Summary

Subjects

  • organizational ambidexterity

Written for

  • Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU)
  • M.Sc. Business Administration - Strategy & Organization
  • Strategic Entrepreneurship & Organizational Renewal
All documents for this subject (21)

Seller

avatar-seller
fhl

Reviews received

Content preview

Antecedents, Consequences and Mediating Role of Organizational
Ambidexterity – Gibson & Birkinshaw (2004)


Components of ambidexterity

1. Alignment (of existing practices)
2. Adaptation (to new circumstances)

The ambidextrous organization achieves both

Value of Ambidexterity

 In an organization there is likely conflict between different demands on its task environment
– so trade-offs have to be made.
 These trade offs can never be 100% eliminated
 However, the most successful organizations manage to reconcile them to a large degree in
order to enhance long-term competitiveness

Structural ambidexterity

Most authors have viewed ambidexterity in structural terms

 Basic idea: organizations solve conflicts of interest by establishing “dual structures” –
meaning that some business units focus on alignment whilst others focus on adaptation

Approaches other than “dual structure” to achieve structural ambidexterity:

 Task partitioning: one group adopts an organic structure, while another takes on a
mechanistic structure
 Temporal separation: the entire unit focuses on one set of tasks first and then on another set
of tasks

 Generally, in structural ambidexterity research, the focus is on trade-offs / either-or decisions



From structural to contextual ambidexterity

There has been a shift from trade-off-thinking (either/or) to paradoxical thinking (both/and)

This new form is called contextual ambidexterity – contextual because it arises from the context of
the organization

Also, there is a growing recognition of the role of the processes and systems present in a given
context – they contribute to achieving the desired balance between opposing demands

Contextual ambidexterity

 The behavioural capacity to simultaneously demonstrate alignment and adaptability across
an entire business unit

 Contextual ambidexterity is best achieved NOT through creating dual structures but by
building a set of processes or systems that enable individuals to make their own judgement
about how to divide their time between conflicting demands for alignment and adaptability

, Alignment = coherence among all the patterns of activities in the business unit; they are working
together towards the same goals

Adaptability = capacity to reconfigure activities in the business unit quickly to meet changing
demands in the task environment

 Contextual ambidexterity emerges when leaders of a business unit develop a supportive
organization context
o That is, not through charismatic leadership / a formal org. structure / a strong culture
better performance can be achieved
o Rather, it is achieved through building a carefully selected set of systems and
processes that collectively define a context that allows the meta-capabilities of
alignment and adaptability to simultaneously flourish – and thereby sustain business-
unit performance




Characteristics of Contextual ambidexterity in organizations

 Can be seen as a meta-level capacity for alignment and adaptability which permeates all
functions/levels in a unit

 Is potentially more sustainable than structural separation of alignment and adaptability
because it facilitates the adaptation of an ENTIRE business unit, jot just the separate units
responsible for new business development

 Avoids coordination problems between subunits

 Contextual ambidexterity manifests itself in the specific actions of individuals throughout the
organization

 In contextually ambidextrous units, the context is flexible and dynamic enough to allow
individuals to make their own judgements on how to divide their time between alignment-
and adaptation-oriented activities

 Previous studies support the logic of creating a behavioral orientation toward dual capacities
rather than a higher-level separation of those capacities

 Previous studies also imply that organizations must build systems and processes facilitating
these behaviours


Effect of Ambidexterity on Performance

Hypothesis: The higher the level of ambidexterity in a business unit, the higher the level of
performance

 The results of the study support this hypothesis

The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.

Quick and easy check-out

Quick and easy check-out

You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.

Focus on what matters

Focus on what matters

Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!

Frequently asked questions

What do I get when I buy this document?

You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.

Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?

Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.

Who am I buying these notes from?

Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller fhl. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.

Will I be stuck with a subscription?

No, you only buy these notes for $6.43. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.

Can Stuvia be trusted?

4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)

82191 documents were sold in the last 30 days

Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now

Start selling
$6.43  1x  sold
  • (0)
  Add to cart