TY - JOUR

T1 - Does striking a balance pay off? Implications of innovative ambidexterity for SMEs during COVID-19 crisis

AU - Smara, Rafik

AU - Bogatyreva, Karina

AU - Laskovaia, Anastasiia

AU - Van Wagoner, Hunter Phoenix

N1 - Funding Information: Funding: This research has been conducted with financial support from the Russian Science Foundation grant (project No. 21-78-10024, https://rscf.ru/en/project/21-78-10024/ ). Publisher Copyright: © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

PY - 2022/10/28

Y1 - 2022/10/28

N2 - Purpose: Exploration and exploitation have long been documented as prominent approaches to business management and organizational adaptation to external environment. Maintaining balance between these activities is a key to survival and prosperity. However, there is little direct evidence of the effect of such combined usage of both approaches on firm performance in times of crisis, especially within small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The purpose of this paper is to reveal the role of balanced ambidexterity in shaping firm performance during COVID-19 recession. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a survey of 333 Russian SMEs, the authors test the proposed theoretical framework linking innovative ambidexterity to firm performance level and variability taking into account technological uncertainty. Findings: The results show that innovative ambidexterity tends to increase level and decrease variability of performance outcomes, whereas technological uncertainty acts as a positive contingency for this impact. Originality/value: The results provide an improved understanding of ambidexterity and organizational literatures by clarifying the contingent nature of the ambidexterity–firm performance relationship during COVID-19 recession.

AB - Purpose: Exploration and exploitation have long been documented as prominent approaches to business management and organizational adaptation to external environment. Maintaining balance between these activities is a key to survival and prosperity. However, there is little direct evidence of the effect of such combined usage of both approaches on firm performance in times of crisis, especially within small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The purpose of this paper is to reveal the role of balanced ambidexterity in shaping firm performance during COVID-19 recession. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a survey of 333 Russian SMEs, the authors test the proposed theoretical framework linking innovative ambidexterity to firm performance level and variability taking into account technological uncertainty. Findings: The results show that innovative ambidexterity tends to increase level and decrease variability of performance outcomes, whereas technological uncertainty acts as a positive contingency for this impact. Originality/value: The results provide an improved understanding of ambidexterity and organizational literatures by clarifying the contingent nature of the ambidexterity–firm performance relationship during COVID-19 recession.

KW - COVID-19

KW - Crisis

KW - Exploitation

KW - Exploration

KW - Firm performance

KW - Innovative ambidexterity

KW - Performance variability

KW - SMEs

KW - Technological uncertainty

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85140854813&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/089119b2-a621-3a22-8215-cf6ee9a7e4b9/

U2 - 10.1108/jeee-05-2022-0139

DO - 10.1108/jeee-05-2022-0139

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85140854813

JO - Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies

JF - Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies

SN - 2053-4604

ER -