Miles and Snow’s strategic typology redux through the lens of ambidexterity

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 925-946
Author(s):  
Marc Sollosy ◽  
Rebecca M. Guidice ◽  
K. Praveen Parboteeah
Keyword(s):  
Incremental Innovation ◽  
Organizational Ambidexterity ◽  
Exploration And Exploitation ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Miles And Snow Typology ◽  
Management Concepts ◽  
The Us ◽  
Miles And Snow ◽  
Administrative Problem

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to link firms’ strategic archetypes as formulated by Miles and Snow (1978) to the more recent literature on organizational ambidexterity. Examining these obvious linkages, the paper also addresses how these firms address their entrepreneurial, engineering and administrative problem domains in relationship with the firm’s strategic archetype. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 503 firms across the US. Measures previously validated were used to collect information related to the strategic archetype as well as the three problem domains. Multiple discriminant and regression analyses were used to test the hypotheses. Findings Most of the hypotheses relating the entrepreneurial (exploration and exploitation), engineering (radical and incremental innovation) and administrative problem (adaptation and alignment) to the four strategic archetypes (defender, prospector, analyzer and reactor) were supported. Additionally, the authors found that the firms that had the closest alignment along the three problem domains outperformed the other firms. Originality/value Although the Miles and Snow typology has received considerable research attention, the obvious links with more contemporary research on organizational ambidexterity has been neglected. Through this integration, with more recent key strategic management concepts, this paper shows the utility and current relevance of the Miles and Snow archetypes.

scholarly journals Ambidexterity and organizational learning: revisiting and reconnecting the literatures

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 337-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Brix
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Absorptive Capacity ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Organizational Ambidexterity ◽  
Exploration And Exploitation ◽  
Seminal Paper ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Model ◽  
Multiple Levels

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to investigate how the processes of exploration and exploitation have developed in parallel in the literature of organizational ambidexterity and organizational learning, since James March published his seminal paper in 1991. The goal of the paper is to provide a synthesis of exploration and exploitation based on the two areas of literature.Design/methodology/approachThe study is conceptual and no empirical data have been used.FindingsThe study advances current understanding of exploration and exploitation by building a new model for organizational ambidexterity that takes into account multiple levels of learning, perspectives from absorptive capacity and inter-organizational learning.Originality/valueThe study’s novelty lies in the creation and discussion of a synthesis of exploration and exploitation stemming from organizational ambidexterity and organizational learning.

Reaching organizational ambidexterity in the merger process: a temporal switching

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (5) ◽  
pp. 879-896
Author(s):  
Anne-Sophie Thelisson ◽  
Audrey Missonier ◽  
Gilles Guieu
Keyword(s):  
Participant Observation ◽  
Organizational Ambidexterity ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Exploration And Exploitation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Merger Process ◽  
Post Merger Integration ◽  
And Control ◽  
Merger Integration ◽  
Parent Companies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how a company reaches organizational ambidexterity during a merger process. Organizational ambidexterity refers to the proactive adaptations of an organization to simultaneously explore and exploit. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents a longitudinal case study of a public-private merger of two listed French companies. The data were collected from participant observation, interviews and archival documentation over two years. Findings The balance between autonomy and control by the parent companies evolves during the post-merger integration. The findings reveal that there was no concordance between the oscillations between autonomy and control on the part of the parent companies and the new organization’s exploration/exploitation strategies. However, the progressive evolution of control and autonomy from the parent companies engendered organizational ambidexterity during the third phase integration. Practical implications The study adds insight into how organizations can develop ways to manage organizational ambidexterity dynamics by employing temporal mechanisms, referring to an organization’s shifting sequentially between exploration and exploitation. The case highlights how temporal switching between exploration and exploitation occurs to ultimately enable ambidexterity. Originality/value Although organizational ambidexterity is recognized as a key element for post-merger integration, how it is achieved over the course of the merger process has received little attention. The study highlights that in the case of public-private mergers, the parent companies influence exploration and/or exploitation strategies. The paper adds insights on whether exploration and exploitation can be differentiated over time and whether exploration and exploitation can be reconciled at the same time.

scholarly journals The interplay between firms’ internal and external capabilities in exploration and exploitation

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 1559-1580 ◽  
Author(s):  
César Camisón ◽  
Montserrat Boronat-Navarro ◽  
Beatriz Forés
Keyword(s):  
Radical Innovation ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Incremental Innovation ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Exploration And Exploitation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Positive Effect

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to enrich the explanation of the interplay between internal and external – or district shared – exploration and exploitation capabilities as antecedents of a firm’s radical and incremental innovation. Previous studies do not differentiate between exploration and exploitation in district shared capabilities and how they interact with internal capabilities.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses hierarchical regression analysis to test the quadratic and moderating effects in a sample of 1,019 Spanish firms.FindingsResults show an increasingly positive effect on radical innovation of exploration capabilities, enhanced by shared capabilities in exploration. In the case of incremental innovation, the study finds evidence of an increasingly positive influence of exploitation capabilities and a concave relationship of exploration capabilities. Moreover, shared exploitation capabilities weaken the effect of internal exploitation capabilities and also have a direct effect on incremental innovation. Therefore, the two capabilities are interchangeable in the effect they have on incremental innovation.Practical implicationsDepending on the firm’s innovation strategy, intra-district firms should develop specific capabilities and/or concentrate on adopting the shared capabilities in the destination.Originality/valueThe study furthers the understanding of the relationship between exploration and radical innovation, and between exploitation and incremental innovation, which is more complex than previously depicted. The study also differentiates between exploration and exploitation in shared capabilities, enriching understanding of the competitiveness of district firms.

The emergent-strategy process of initiating organizational ambidexterity

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 382-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabyasachi Sinha
Keyword(s):  
Power Sharing ◽  
Organizational Ambidexterity ◽  
Exploration And Exploitation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Emergent Strategy ◽  
Strategy Process ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Multiple Levels

Purpose Firm ambidexterity usually has been discussed as a top-down planned strategic choice. The purpose of this paper is to showcase it is not always so; it may also be emergent as well – but how? Design/methodology/approach The author used an in-depth, qualitative, multiple case research method for this study, and chose four cases from different industry domains for this study. Findings The author identified that being ambidextrous is not always planned – it may also be emergent. The emergent-strategy process of organizational ambidexterity gets initiated through ambidextrous orientation and abilities of the top management team (TMT), and their actions and behaviors influence the evolution of supporting context that promotes exploration and exploitation behavior of employees at multiple levels of hierarchy, and across different units and functions of the organization. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to the discussions in organizational ambidexterity, deliberate-emergent strategy debate and the role of TMTs in setting the strategic path of the organization. Practical implications Attaining and sustaining firm ambidexterity is a managerial challenge. This challenge is addressable, by having ambidextrous TMTs – team members with complementary competencies of exploration and exploitation, with proper coordination within team members, and relatively balanced power sharing among the team members. Such a team at the top of the organization and their signaling builds the context to support increased exploration and exploitation activities at multiple levels of the organization. Originality/value This study showcases the emergent process of firm ambidexterity. Very few studies so far have discussed this process of becoming ambidextrous.

scholarly journals How do IT outsourcing vendors develop capabilities? An organizational ambidexterity perspective on a multi-case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-65
Author(s):  
Wenyu (Derek) Du ◽  
Shan L. Pan ◽  
Junjie Wu
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
It Outsourcing ◽  
Organizational Ambidexterity ◽  
Important Research ◽  
Capability Development ◽  
Exploration And Exploitation ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Research Stream ◽  
Structural Arrangements

Vendor capabilities are an important research stream in the IT outsourcing literature. The extant studies have generated rich findings on how vendors develop capabilities, but these findings have mainly been based on the condition of vendors improving their existing business. How vendors develop capabilities to move up the value chain has received little prior research attention. A key challenge for vendors in moving up the value chain is the development of new capabilities while maintaining the existing ones. This challenge is consistent with achieving exploration and exploitation in organizational ambidexterity. Hence, we adopt organizational ambidexterity as our theoretical lens. By conducting a case study on four IT outsourcing vendors in China, we identify four classifications for achieving ambidexterity in capability development and the context for each classification. These classifications are based on combinations of different structural arrangements and processes for achieving ambidexterity. Our study contributes to the research on IT outsourcing vendor capabilities by improving our understanding of capability development in vendors moving up the value chain. It also contributes to the organizational ambidexterity literature by identifying the factors that influence the choices of different structural arrangements and processes.

Entrepreneurial growth strategies: the female touch

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Reichborn-Kjennerud ◽  
Helge Svare
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Growth Strategies ◽  
Economic Perspective ◽  
Female Entrepreneurs ◽  
Market Strategy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Miles And Snow Typology ◽  
Entrepreneurial Strategies ◽  
Miles And Snow

Purpose – Research on entrepreneurship has documented differences in male and female entrepreneurs' growth ambitions. It has sometimes been criticized for disregarding important questions and contributions and for favoring a purely economic perspective. This includes a tendency to compare female entrepreneurs with a male norm. In this article, the authors, therefore, apply a more constructive approach and ask how and why entrepreneurial strategies are gendered. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – By analysing six cases, three female- and three male-dominated companies, the authors examined how men and women do business. The authors based the analysis on Miles and Snow's typology on product and market strategy and at the same time expanded it. Findings – The findings substantiated that women and men have similar qualities as entrepreneurs, but women's ambitions and values tend to be different to those espoused by men. This influences their growth strategies. The Miles and Snow typology was adjusted to encompass different growth strategies; staying small or expanding. The article discusses the implications of these findings for regional development and sustainability. Research limitations/implications – The research design in this article does not necessarily allow the authors to grasp the internal workings of a typical small- or medium-sized business. Neither does it provide generalizable information. Instead, the authors chose to focus on highly gendered sectors of industry to identify potential gender differences. Originality/value – This article contributes to theory on the motivation for entrepreneurship and to research on growth strategies. It also contributes to the literature on Miles and Snow's typology questioning the taken-for-granted goal of growth in economic theories and raising the question of advantages of the choice of staying small. The authors direct the focus to perspectives of embeddedness and intersectionality as a direction for future research.

scholarly journals Examining desorptive capacity in supply chains: the role of organizational ambidexterity

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 534-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Isabel Roldán Bravo ◽  
Antonia Ruiz-Moreno ◽  
Francisco Javier Lloréns Montes
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Organizational Ambidexterity ◽  
Exploration And Exploitation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Independent Effects ◽  
Moderating Role ◽  
Desorptive Capacity ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explain how a buying organization’s desorptive capacity relative to its supply network enhances the organization’s supply chain competence. The research also analyzes the contingent role of the balanced and combined dimensions of ambidexterity in this relationship. Design/methodology/approach Empirical results are obtained through analysis of survey data from a sample of 270 European firms. Hierarchical regression analysis is used to test the hypotheses. Findings The results confirm, first, the positive and significant relationship between the buying organization’s desorptive capacity and supply chain competence; and, second, the key moderating role of organizational ambidexterity, especially in its combined dimension, in this relationship. Practical implications The study suggests that desorptive capacity is key to the organization’s contribution to supply chain competitiveness. The authors also provide practitioners with better understanding of the extent to which they should attempt to balance exploration and exploitation or/and to maximize both simultaneously when seeking greater benefit from desorptive capacity. Originality/value This study extends desorptive capacity research to supply chain management. It responds to calls in the desorptive capacity literature for deeper understanding of the benefits of desorptive capacity and of the role organizational ambidexterity plays in the success of desorptive capacity. By analyzing the independent effects of the combined and balanced dimensions of ambidexterity, the authors advance conceptual and operational understanding of the role of ambidexterity needed in the literature.

The trade-off between knowledge exploration and exploitation in technological innovation

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 781-801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dehong Li ◽  
Jun Lin ◽  
Wentian Cui ◽  
Yanjun Qian
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Exploration And Exploitation ◽  
Research Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Effort Allocation ◽  
The Us ◽  
Knowledge Exploration ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Knowledge Learning

Purpose This study aims to clarify the effect of team effort allocation between knowledge exploration and exploitation on the generation of extremely good or poor innovations. The influence of previous collaborative experience among team members on the effect of team effort allocation is also investigated to understand the relationship between team members’ collaboration networks and knowledge learning. Design/methodology/approach This study uses data of all patents granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office between 1984 and 2010. The inventors involved in a patent are regarded as members of the focal team. Logistic regression is used to analyze the data. Findings Allocating greater effort to exploration than to exploitation is beneficial to achieving breakthrough innovations despite the risk of generating particularly poor innovations. This benefit increases with collaborative experience among team members. Placing an equal emphasis on knowledge exploration and exploitation is not particularly effective in achieving breakthrough innovations; it is, however, the best strategy for avoiding particularly poor innovations. Originality/value This research not only provides valuable insights for research on innovation and knowledge management by studying the team effort allocation strategy used to achieve breakthroughs and avoid particularly poor innovations but also represents an advancement in bridging two streams of research – knowledge learning and social networks – by highlighting the influence of the team members’ collaborative networks on the effect of team effort allocation between knowledge exploration and exploitation.

The indirect effects of performance measurement system and organizational ambidexterity on performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 1176-1199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizandra Severgnini ◽  
Valter Afonso Vieira ◽  
Edwin Vladimir Cardoza Galdamez
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Strategic Decision Making ◽  
Organizational Ambidexterity ◽  
Exploration And Exploitation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Software Companies ◽  
Attention Focus

Purpose Performance measurement systems (PMSs) have long been used for monitoring and improving administrative performance. In parallel, organizational ambidexterity refers to firms that manage different organizational functions and various demands to generate performance. The purpose of this paper is to propose that three dimensions of PMS increase organizational ambidexterity and consequently they influence organizational performance. In this framework, organizational ambidexterity mediates the relationships between three dimensions of PMS and organizational performance. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected through a structured questionnaire sent to Brazilian software companies. Owners, directors, project managers and responsible for company strategy answered the questionnaire. The final sample was 227 Brazilian software firms that answered according to their PMSs and organizational ambidexterity. Findings The results provide four main findings. First, the three dimensions of PMS, namely—attention focus, legitimization and strategic decision-making—influenced organizational ambidexterity. Second, organizational ambidexterity had a major effect on organizational performance. Third, organizational ambidexterity mediated the indirect effects of attention focus, legitimization and strategic decision-making on organizational performance. Fourth, exploration and exploitation—two dimensions of organizational ambidexterity—mediated the indirect effect of the abovementioned PMS dimensions on organizational performance. Research limitations/implications Although there are different dimensions of organizational ambidexterity, this paper is limited to two of the most used ones: exploitation and exploration. In addition, the results were limited to subjective—in contrast to objective—performance measures. Practical implications Software companies can use PMS for attention focus, legitimization of firm’s choices and strategic decision-making to increase their exploration and exploitation capabilities. Moreover, software companies can use strategic decision-making to control existing strategies and establish new strategies for legitimizing ambidextrous choices and thereby support their decision-making process. Originality/value The data showed that not only organizational ambidexterity mediates the effects of the three dimensions of PMS use on performance, but also exploration and exploitation.

Reduced to the max: firm performance and organizational ambidexterity research

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Norman Meisinger ◽  
Manfred Moldaschl
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Organizational Ambidexterity ◽  
Performance Measurements ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Exploration And Exploitation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Conceptual Clarity ◽  
Core Questions ◽  
Short Essay

PurposeFor nearly three decades, numerous scholars have searched for a robust relationship between firm performance and organizational ambidexterity—so far with questionable results. The aim of this short essay is thus to critically examine the performance of applied performance measurements.Design/methodology/approachAfter discussing methodological issues and revealing a conceptually neglected “level” distinction in organizational ambidexterity studies, we contribute to conceptual clarity as to whether exploration and exploitation ought to be conceived as continuous or orthogonal.FindingsFirst, even if the dichotomy of exploration and exploitation is orthogonally conceptualized, at least one trade-off, either on the level of the explanans or the level of the explanandum, can be bypassed but cannot conceptually be denied. Second, we conclude that explaining overall firm performance with the relation of just two variables (exploration and exploitation)—referring to the inherently conflicting title of this paper, “Reduced to the Max”—is a hazardous endeavor.Research limitations/implicationsBased on these insights, future research may benefit from studying organizational ambidexterity and firm performance more qualitatively and paying more attention to the declared level distinction.Originality/valueThe paper reveals a crucial neglect of level and provides an answer to one of the core questions of organizational ambidexterity research: that of continuity vs orthogonality.

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