Contextual ambidexterity in SMEs: the roles of internal and external rivalry

Dirk Clercq (), Narongsak Thongpapanl () and Dimo Dimov ()

Small Business Economics, 2014, vol. 42, issue 1, 205 pages

Abstract: This article seeks to extend research on small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and ambidexterity by investigating contingency factors that influence the relationship between contextual ambidexterity and SME performance. Acknowledging the importance of internal knowledge flows in leveraging ambidexterity, it offers unique insights into how internal and external rivalry conditions influence performance outcomes related to an ambidextrous posture. Using a sample of Canadian-based SMEs, the study shows that the contextual ambidexterity–performance relationship is suppressed at higher levels of internal rivalry and amplified at higher levels of external rivalry. The findings suggest that developing an ambidextrous posture should not be an end by itself, and they point to the need for SMEs to understand how the features of their internal and external environments affect the performance consequences of such posture. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014

Keywords: Ambidexterity; Knowledge; Rivalry; Contingencies; SMEs; M10; M19; L26 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11187-013-9471-2

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