Exploring the Origin, Definition and Measurement of Organizational Ambidexterity

Organizational researchers are using ambidexterity, the ability of humans to use both hands with equal skill, as a metaphor for organizations that are equally dexterous at exploitation and exploration. Existing definition of organizational ambidexterity can be divided into three categories: structural ambidexterity, behavioral ambidexterity and realized ambidexterity. Scholars based on the balance view believe that organizational ambidexterity is mainly measured by the absolute value of the difference of competing strategic behavior, while scholars based on the integration view believe that organizational ambidexterity is mainly measured by the product of competing strategic behavior.