Complements or Substitutes? Investigating the Interplay Amongst Drivers of Ambidexterity

Ambidexterity research has proposed a variety of drivers to reconcile the conflicting forces of exploration and exploitation. However, little is known about how these drivers interact and whether they act as complements or substitutes. Based on a two-stage survey study amongst small and medium-sized enterprises, we find that structural drivers, leadership drivers, and informal drivers of ambidexterity do not demonstrate complementarity as is generally assumed, but may rather act at cross-purposes with each other. This finding permits the development of important theoretical insights for ambidexterity research and for the broader theory on organizational capabilities.