Ambidexterity in Information Systems Research: Overview of Conceptualizations, Antecedents, and Outcomes
Year: 2019
Type: article
Study design: Systematic Review
Abstract: Organizations that are not efficient and innovative today quickly become irrelevant tomorrow. Ambidexterity (i.e., simultaneously conducting two seemingly contradicting activities, such as exploitation and exploration) helps organizations to overcome this challenge and, hence, has become increasingly popular with manifold applications in information systems (IS) research. However, we lack a systematic understanding of ambidexterity research, its research streams, and their future trajectory. Hence, we conduct a systematic literature review on ambidexterity in IS research and identify six distinct research streams that use an ambidexterity lens: IT-enabled organizational ambidexterity, ambidextrous IT capability, ambidexterity in IS development, ambidextrous IS strategy, ambidextrous inter-organizational relationships, and organizational ambidexterity in IS. We present the current state of research in each stream. More so, we comprehensively overview application areas, conceptualizations, antecedents for, and outcomes of ambidexterity. Hence, this study contributes to the emergent theme of ambidexterity in IS research.
Authors: Karl Werder, Carl Simon Heckmann
Language: English
Subfield: Strategy and Management
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: Clemson University, University of Southern Mississippi, Utah State University, Northern Illinois University, Syracuse University, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, University of Louisville, Drexel University, Georgia State University, Copenhagen Business School, Deakin University, Curtin University of Technology, Aalto-Yliopisto, Aalborg Universitet, University of Hong Kong, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, United Arab Emirates University
OpenAlex ID: W2970189742