Organisational ambidexterity across multiple levels of analysis – The importance of routinization for promoting innovation

Abstract

The concept of organizational ambidexterity, balancing act between the conflicting demands of exploit and explore, has been a part of the discussion in innovation research for a long time. Managers ability to balance tensions is a crucial capacity for organisations to be able to promote and support innovation. However, there is still a lack of research which takes multiple levels of analysis into account, how organisations can become ambidextrous, and which focuses on a single organisation.

The study is a qualitative case study which investigates the balancing of tensions in a Swedish municipality and the connections between the organisational and individual levels of contextual ambidexterity. The article identifies a low ambidextrous environment, how this is affected by the interplay between the two levels of analysis where the organsational mechanism enforce routines which contributes to a lack of ability to balance tensions amongst individuals and at a group level. Further, in low ambidextrous environments, behaviors amongst individuals does not appear to be enough to promote organisational ambidexterity.

The article finds the routinization of innovation to be an important step for organisations which wish to improve the environment for ambidexterity. The article contributes to the understanding of ambidexterity by the need to focus on both mechanisms and behaviors, as well as the aggregated group level, to further develop the understanding of how public sector organisations promote and support innovation.