Defense Date
Spring 4-8-2016
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Management
Department
Business Administration
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Rebecca Guidice
Committee Member or Co-Chair
Neal Mero
Reader
Steve Werner
Abstract
In response to changing customer demands and increasing competition, companies must balance the need to exploit their current capabilities with the need to explore new capabilities to sustain long-term success. Balancing this duality is at the core of the ambidexterity concept. While ambidexterity research mostly has focused at the firm level of analysis, recent literature indicates the need to analyze the concept at the individual level to increase our understanding of where ambidexterity takes place and how it emerges from context. Understanding the dynamics of the ambidexterity phenomenon at its most basic level will provide organizations with knowledge on how to encourage, promote, and manage ambidextrous behavior. This study examines the influence of how individuals perceive their work environments on their attitudes towards explorative and exploitative activities. Drawing from the ambidexterity, the empowerment, and the ownership literatures, I propose that work environments that help develop individuals’ feeling of empowerment and ownership will tend to motivate ambidextrous behavior. In addition, drawing from self-regulatory theory and accountability research, I propose three moderating factors that will influence the explorative and the exploitative behavior of individuals experiencing psychological empowerment and psychological ownership.