Achieving ambidextrous learning in construction engineering project partnerships: the roles of formal control and Chinese guanxi

Suying Yang, Yanhui Mao (), Tao Liu, Conrad Baldner, Scott Roberts and Shaokai Lu ()
Additional contact information
Suying Yang: Southwest Jiaotong University
Yanhui Mao: Southwest Jiaotong University
Tao Liu: Southwest Jiaotong University
Conrad Baldner: Sapienza University of Rome
Scott Roberts: Claremont Graduate University
Shaokai Lu: Southwest Jiaotong University

Asian Business & Management, 2023, vol. 22, issue 1, No 17, 462 pages

Abstract: Abstract Ambidextrous learning plays an essential role for organizations striving to learn how to survive and compete. However, extant studies provide few ambidextrous learning strategies for construction engineering project partnerships. According to absorptive capacity theory, we argue that ambidextrous learning can be achieved by formal control (behavioral and outcome control) and social control (e.g., Chinese guanxi). Therefore, we present a conceptual model to depict the role of both control strategies in ambidextrous learning. Empirical tests based on 431 survey responses from construction engineering project managers found that: both formal control and guanxi are positively and significantly associated with ambidextrous learning; the joint effects of outcome control and guanxi have positive interaction effects on ambidextrous learning, while the joint effects of behavioral control and guanxi have negative interaction effects on ambidextrous learning. Findings contribute to extant research in ambidextrous learning and provide a basic framework to understand how an organization can survive, develop and grow through ambidextrous learning via Chinese guanxi and different formal control strategies.

Keywords: Ambidextrous learning; Formal control; Guanxi; Explorative learning; Exploitative learning; Behavioral control; Outcome control (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41291-021-00173-z Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:abaman:v:22:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1057_s41291-021-00173-z

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.palgrave.com/gp/journal/41291

DOI: 10.1057/s41291-021-00173-z

Access Statistics for this article

Asian Business & Management is currently edited by Fabian Jintae Froese

More articles in Asian Business & Management from Palgrave Macmillan
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().