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Ambidextrous culture, contextual ambidexterity and new product innovations: The role of organizational slack and environmental factors

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  • Sher Jahan Khan
  • Ajaz Akbar Mir

Abstract

Contextual ambidexterity, defined as the simultaneous pursuit of alignment and adaptability at business unit, is linked to several organizational outcomes including improved performance and innovation outcomes. Extant research posits ambidextrous organizational culture as an important enabler to contextual ambidexterity but suffers from a lack of a well‐meaning scale for the same. In addition, there is very little understanding as to how tasking and facilitating environment can be on firms' endeavour for contextual ambidexterity and the outcomes thereof. Therefore, the current piece of research has twin objectives using two separate studies. First, to develop a scale for ambidextrous organizational culture construct and second, to analyse the role played by the external forces (munificence and dynamism) and internal slack resources on the relationships between ambidextrous organizational culture and contextual ambidexterity and between contextual ambidexterity and new product innovation outcomes through an empirical investigation in India. Using structural equation modelling on data from 414 respondents, we found environmental munificence to strengthen the relationships between ambidextrous organizational culture and contextual ambidexterity and between contextual ambidexterity and new product innovation outcomes. On the other hand, environmental dynamism had a dampening impact on these relationships. Our findings also suggest that for low slack organizations, dynamic and unmunificent environments magnified the negative impact on an organisation's ambidexterity efforts and new product innovation outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Sher Jahan Khan & Ajaz Akbar Mir, 2019. "Ambidextrous culture, contextual ambidexterity and new product innovations: The role of organizational slack and environmental factors," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(4), pages 652-663, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:28:y:2019:i:4:p:652-663
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.2287
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    Cited by:

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    7. Alexis Ioannidis & Konstantinos J. Chalvatzis & Leonidas C. Leonidou & Zhiteng Feng, 2021. "Applying the reduce, reuse, and recycle principle in the hospitality sector: Its antecedents and performance implications," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(7), pages 3394-3410, November.
    8. Angeloantonio Russo & Rosamartina Schena, 2021. "Ambidexterity in the context of SME alliances: Does sustainability have a role?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(2), pages 606-615, March.
    9. Ghulam Mustafa & Hans Solli-Sæther & Virginia Bodolica & Jon Ivar Håvold & Anam Ilyas, 2022. "Digitalization trends and organizational structure: bureaucracy, ambidexterity or post-bureaucracy?," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 12(4), pages 671-694, December.
    10. Ansita Aggarwal & Harold Kent Baker & Nisarg A. Joshi, 2025. "Organizational Innovation as Business Strategy: A Review and Bibliometric Analysis," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 16(2), pages 6550-6576, June.
    11. Kesen Zhang & Zhen Pan & Mukund Janardhanan & Imran Patel, 2023. "Relationship analysis between greenwashing and environmental performance," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(8), pages 7927-7957, August.
    12. Lina Liu & Bo Yu & Weiwei Wu, 2019. "The Formation and Effects of Exploitative Dynamic Capabilities and Explorative Dynamic Capabilities: An Empirical Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-21, May.
    13. Mengdi Sun & Xiaoyu Zhao, 2023. "Influence of Organizational Ambidextrous Culture in Manufacturing Enterprises on Service Innovation Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-26, October.
    14. Mohammad AlSaied & Patrick McLaughlin & Mohamed Afy-Shararah & John Patsavellas & Abdullah Alkhoraif, 2025. "Cultural Dynamics and Ambidextrous Innovation: Insights from Saudi Arabia’s Project-Based Organizations—A Thematic–Explorative Study," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-38, March.
    15. José Andrade & Mário Franco & Luis Mendes, 2021. "Technological capacity and organisational ambidexterity: the moderating role of environmental dynamism on Portuguese technological SMEs," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(7), pages 2111-2136, October.
    16. Samuel Ogbeibu & Charbel Jose Chiappetta Jabbour & James Gaskin & Abdelhak Senadjki & Mathew Hughes, 2021. "Leveraging STARA competencies and green creativity to boost green organisational innovative evidence: A praxis for sustainable development," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5), pages 2421-2440, July.
    17. Samuel Ogbeibu & Vijay Pereira & John Burgess & James Gaskin & Jude Emelifeonwu & Shlomo Y. Tarba & Ahmad Arslan, 2024. "Responsible innovation in organisations – unpacking the effects of leader trustworthiness and organizational culture on employee creativity," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 41(3), pages 947-977, September.
    18. Jinliang Chen & Kangkang Yu & Jiaowei Gong, 2022. "Supply chain slack and sustainable development performance: The “fit–adjust” effect of objective and perceived environmental uncertainties," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1595-1604, September.
    19. Mengmeng Meng & Jiasu Lei & Jie Jiao & Qiuyan Tao, 2020. "How does strategic flexibility affect bricolage: The moderating role of environmental turbulence," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(8), pages 1-18, August.
    20. David B. Audretsch & Maribel Guerrero, 2023. "Is ambidexterity the missing link between entrepreneurship, management, and innovation?," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(6), pages 1891-1918, December.

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