Organizational ambidexterity and customer relationship management: A cycle of virtue

Ambidexterity is often addressed in literature at the strategic organizational levels. This article focuses at customer relationship management (CRM) level. This study provides an inductive qualitative research that is solution focused and contributes to management theory within a paradigm of design sciences. Results suggest the existence of a cyclical approach to customer knowledge management following a sequence towards integration and fit, what constitutes a theoretical contribution. Findings show different exploitation and exploration contribution levels across the continuous spiral interactions illustrating how to develop ambidexterity at CRM level. The research manages to reconcile academic and practitioner perspectives in the theory building and thus offering a model that is both well-grounded in academic terms and relevant to practical needs.