What is organizational ambidexterity? List some practices companies can uphold to develop it.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: In contrast to the tyranny of the or, the genius of the and—more academically, organizational ambidexterity—refers to being able to achieve multiple objectives at the same time. It develops via the actions of many individuals throughout the organization and is reflected in such actions as delivering multiple competitive values to customers, performing all the management functions, reconciling hard-nosed business logic with ethics, leading and empowering, and others. Authors Collins and Porras have their own list: purpose beyond profit and pragmatic pursuit of profit; relatively fixed core values and vigorous change and movement; conservatism with the core values and bold business moves; clear vision and direction and experimentation; stretch goals and incremental progress; control based on values and operational freedom; long-term thinking and investment and demand for short-term results; and visionary, futuristic thinking and daily, nuts-and-bolts execution. Your organization and its managers collectively should not lose sight of any of these—either in your thoughts or in your actions. To achieve them all, ebbing and flowing over time, requires the continuous and effective management of change.