The individual side of ambidexterity. Do inspirational leaders and organizational learning resolve the exploitation-exploration dilemma?
| Pages | 592-613 |
| Published date | 01 April 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-02-2018-0050 |
| Date | 01 April 2019 |
| Author | Andrés Salas Vallina,Maria D. Moreno-Luzon,Anna Ferrer-Franco |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Industrial/labour relations,Employment law |
The individual side
of ambidexterity
Do inspirational leaders and
organizational learning resolve the
exploitation-exploration dilemma?
Andrés Salas Vallina
Universitat de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
Maria D. Moreno-Luzon
Department of Business Management,
Universitat de Valencia, Valencia, Spain, and
Anna Ferrer-Franco
Allergy Unit, Hospital Universitario Doctor Peset, Valencia, Spain
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to examine whether inspirational leadership of heads of
specialized medical units is related to individual ambidexterity of their dependent physicians; and second, to
study the possible mediating role of organizational learning capability (OLC) in the relationship between
inspirational leadership and individual ambidexterity.
Design/methodology/approach –Structural equation modeling was used on a sample of 194 medical
specialists from Spanish public hospitals.
Findings –Results showthat inspirational leadership is positivelyrelated to individual ambidexterity among
healthcare physicians. In addition, the resultsof the study revealed that the relationship betweeninspirational
leadership andindividual ambidexterity ismediated by conditions that facilitate learning, namely, OLC.
Research limitations/implications –This study uses cross-sectional data, which do not guarantee
causality relationships among the examined variables.
Practical implications –The results of this paper suggest first that heads of healthcare units should
inspire followers to achieve both exploration and exploitation. Second, it is also necessary to consider that
inspirational leaders promote those conditions that facilitate learning, which should be particularly taken into
account to enhance both physician’s exploration and exploitation.
Originality/value –In stressing an evident g ap in the relationship between leade rship and ambidexterity
at the individual leve l, this paper attempts to advance in the leader ship literature by reve aling how the
action or power of moving t he intellect or emotions, and enhancing en thusiasm and confidence, empowers
physicians to both explore and ex ploit knowledge. The results also indica te that the inspiration transmitted
by the heads of medical servic es, facilitate physician’s perceive d learning conditions which, in turn, fosters
their individual ambid exterity.
Keywords Organizational learning, Ambidexterity
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
The current business environment, which remains complex and unpredictable, requires
organizations to focus on those capabilities that provide sustainable competitive advantage
(Wu, 2010). However, limited investigation addresses the drivers of these capabilities
(Lopez-Cabrales et al., 2017). In the public health sector, organizations have to achieve
Employee Relations: The
International Journal
Vol. 41 No. 3, 2019
pp. 592-613
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0142-5455
DOI 10.1108/ER-02-2018-0050
Received 16 February 2018
Revised 10 August 2018
Accepted 10 August 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0142-5455.htm
May it be a posthumous homage to Professor Marisa Vallina (University of Valencia), who, from an open
view of knowledge, worked to diminish the barriers between disciplines. Project ECO2015-71380-R has been
funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness and the State Research Agency
and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
592
ER
41,3
trust and efficacy with limited resources (Callan et al., 2010). These pressures are even more
deeply perceived in the context of the prolonged impact of the economic crisis of 2008. Even
though economic indicators suggest a change in the current trend, resources in public
healthcare organizations will remain limited, thus requiring the use of a strategic rationale
model. Lubatkin et al. (2006) raised the question about the extent to which increased
performance is sustainable, bearing in mind the relevant competitive challenges coupled
with limited resources.
Researchers have argued that being involved in both exploration and exploitation
processes is fundamental to the survival and long-term success of organizations(Gibson and
Birkinshaw, 2004; Junni et al., 2013). The impact of ambidexterity on firm survival is widely
supporting by empirical evidence that show its positive relationship with organizational
performance (O’Reilly and Tushman, 2013; Pertusa-Ortega and Molina-Azorín, 2018).
In general, ambidexterity is recognized as the capability to balance exploitation and
exploration processes. Exploitation is related to efficiency, control, certainty, refinement,
reduction of variance, and improv ement of existing technologies and knowledge
(Katila and Ahuja, 2002; March, 1991; O’Reilly and Tushman, 2008). Exploration is
associated with experimentation, flexibility, divergent thinking, risk taking, variance
increase, new knowledge and new technologies uses (Lubatkin et al., 2006; March, 1991;
O’Reilly and Tushman, 2008). The risks of the unbalance have been underlined. On the one
hand, organizations that focus on exploitation get improvements in efficiency in the short
term, but they are self-destructive in the long term. On the other hand, firms that focus on
exploration do not obtain the profitability of their knowledge, and tend to suffer from a lack
of efficiency that diminishes their competitiveness (Levinthal and March, 1993).
Ambidexterity is important because the proper interaction between exploration and
exploitation reflects a complex capability that provides a competitive advantage beyond
those obtained by each activity individually (Colbert, 2004).
Taking the preceding discussion into consideration, little is known about the
mechanisms that facilitate balanced management of exploration and exploitation (Malik
et al., 2017). There has been especially limited attention on ambidexterity at individual level
(Turner et al., 2013). Current literature on the subject has mainly focused on ambidexterity at
the unit and organizational level of analysis, while very little research has addressed
empirical and theoretical research at the individual level of analysis among managers (Mom
et al., 2009; Barile et al., 2012, 2014). Indeed, scholars underline the importance of exploring
ambidexterity at this level of analysis (Mom et al., 2009). Birkinshaw and Gibson (2004)
defined ambidextrous individuals as those who divide their time between exploration and
exploitation, succeeding under leaders who encourage them to work for the good of the
organization, display adaptive behavior and contribute with a clear vision of general
strategy. However, the role of leaders in supporting ambidexterity needs to be better
understood. Our research has focused on the individual level of analysis, specifically the
ambidexterity of non-managerial professionals.
With these purposes in mind, we first examine the implications of inspirational leadership of
managers on follower’s individual ambidexterity of in the healthcare context. Specifically, we
investigate the effect of the inspirational role played by medical heads of department on
physicians’individual ambidexterity. Bresnen et al. (2017) highlighted the importance of
mobilizing management knowledge in healthcare. We understand that medical specialists need
both to explore (advance in new knowledge) and exploit (improve efficiency in clinical practice).
The development of leadership in healthcare has been highlighted as crucial (Bresnen et al.,
2015). The role of leadership in mobilizing and delivering results with limited resources have
gained increased attention among scholars (O’Reilly and Reed, 2011), though weak evidencehas
been found on the consequences of leadership style in public services (Currie and Lockett, 2007;
Salas-Vallina and Fernandez, 2017). This might be due to the fact that public organizations have
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Individual
side of
ambidexterity
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