Rethinking contextual ambidexterity through parallel structures |
| |
Authors: | Amadou Lô Pauline Fatien Diochon |
| |
Affiliation: | 1. Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Department, TBS Business School, 1 Place Alphonse Jourdain, 31000 Toulouse, France;2. Grenoble Ecole de Management, Université Grenoble Alpes ComUE, 12, rue Pierre Sémard, 38000 Grenoble, France |
| |
Abstract: | This paper offers an alternative perspective on achieving contextual ambidexterity in organizations. Building on a collaborative research project within Renault’s Innovation Department, we identified that the corporate Fab Lab acted as a parallel structure in support of contextual ambidexterity. These findings provide three main contributions. First, we locate a source of contextual ambidexterity outside of the traditional business unit. In doing so, we challenge the dominant focus on managers, and show that, despite non-supportive contexts, employees can demonstrate ambidextrous skills through individual autonomous initiatives and bootlegging behaviors. Second, we delineate four key functions and related features – spatial, technical, methodological, and cultural – of parallel structures that nurture contextual ambidexterity. Finally, we recommend that the facilitation of a parallel structure should combine both flexibility and stability. |
| |
Keywords: | |
|
|