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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/ £4.96   Add to cart
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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/
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  • 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.

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  • October 7, 2021
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  • 2021/2022
  • Summary

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  • organizational ambidexterity

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  • Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU)
  • M.Sc. Business Administration - Strategy & Organization
  • Strategic Entrepreneurship & Organizational Renewal
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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

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