Open AccessContextual Ambidexterity: Tackling the Exploitation and Exploration Dilemma of Innovation Management in SMEs
Author(s) -
Annika Reischl,
Sabrina Weber,
Stephan Fischer,
Claus LangKoetz
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
international journal of innovation and technology management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.324
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 1793-6950
pISSN - 0219-8770
DOI - 10.1142/s0219877022500067
Subject(s) - ambidexterity , dilemma , agile software development , business , knowledge management , relevance (law) , scope (computer science) , german , process management , computer science , philosophy , software engineering , archaeology , epistemology , political science , law , history , programming language
In innovation management (IM), two perspectives typically come together, characterized with the term ambidexterity: a clear orientation towards the best possible use of resources (exploitation) and, at the same time, completely new ideas and novel approaches (exploration). We consider contextual ambidexterity suitable to address this dilemma in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Based on findings from five German SMEs, we argue that training and using ‘conventional’ IM for exploitation and ‘agile’ IM for exploration could be most feasible. We develop a generic conceptual model with high practical relevance for SMEs and their innovation projects.