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The individual side of ambidexterity: Do individuals’ perceptions match actual behaviors in reconciling the exploration and exploitation trade-off?

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  • Bonesso, Sara
  • Gerli, Fabrizio
  • Scapolan, Annachiara

Abstract

The paper addresses the issue of the exploration–exploitation dilemma, adopting a micro level of analysis. Unlike the extensive literature on ambidexterity that investigates the organizational solutions that allow firms to pursue the balance between the two kinds of learning orientation, this research draws attention to the as yet barely analyzed individual dimension of ambidexterity. Specifically, in investigating personal ambidexterity we point to the relevance of individuals’ perceptions on what their role requires of them and the actual behaviors they perform.

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  • Bonesso, Sara & Gerli, Fabrizio & Scapolan, Annachiara, 2014. "The individual side of ambidexterity: Do individuals’ perceptions match actual behaviors in reconciling the exploration and exploitation trade-off?," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 392-405.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eurman:v:32:y:2014:i:3:p:392-405
    DOI: 10.1016/j.emj.2013.07.003
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    6. Katou, Anastasia A. & Budhwar, Pawan S. & Patel, Charmi, 2021. "A trilogy of organizational ambidexterity: Leader’s social intelligence, employee work engagement and environmental changes," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 688-700.
    7. Olga Kassotaki, 2022. "Review of Organizational Ambidexterity Research," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(1), pages 21582440221, March.
    8. José Andrade & Luis Mendes & Mário Franco, 2024. "The Effect of Owner-Managers’ Personality Traits on Organisational Ambidexterity in the Context of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-20, January.
    9. Wang, Canhao & Jiao, Hao & Song, Jiayi, 2023. "Wear glasses for supervisors to discover the beauty of subordinates: Supervisor developmental feedback and organizational ambidexterity," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
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    12. Elfindah Princes, 2019. "Ambidextrous Leadership in Manufacture Industry in Indonesia," GATR Journals jmmr228, Global Academy of Training and Research (GATR) Enterprise.
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    15. José Andrade & Mário Franco & Luis Mendes, 2023. "Facilitating and Inhibiting Effects of Organisational Ambidexterity in SME: an Analysis Centred on SME Characteristics," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 14(1), pages 35-64, March.
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    18. Hazem Khaled Shehadeh & Mohammed Abed Hussein Al Taee, 2022. "Organizational Ambidexterity and Its Impact on Organizational Citizenship Behavior: A Case Study in Islamic International Arab Bank in Amman City-Jordan," Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, Richtmann Publishing Ltd, vol. 11, July.
    19. Wang, Yuandi & Sutherland, Dylan & Ning, Lutao & Pan, Xin, 2015. "The evolving nature of China's regional innovation systems: Insights from an exploration–exploitation approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 140-152.
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    22. Marte C. W. Solheim & Sverre J. Herstad, 2018. "The Differentiated Effects of Human Resource Diversity on Corporate Innovation," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 15(05), pages 1-25, October.

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