Ambidextrie ist Ambidextrie ist Ambidextrie …

Ambidexterity in innovation management refers to a company’s ability to both strengthen its core business (exploit), as well as to act with new offerings in existing or new markets (explore). The challenge is to use both innovation modes in a complementary way, rather than limiting oneself to one of the two modes. An ambidextrous approach and the ability to use both innovation modes, exploit and explore, simultaneously and to the extent required by the circumstances, enables companies to quickly respond to changes in the industry and thus succeed in the market in the long term. To successfully implement ambidexterity in innovation management, corporate culture and leadership style play just as important a role as fundamental decisions regarding digitization. It is crucial for companies to recognize the potentials of ambidexterity and learn to use both the exploit and explore modes specifically and optimally to achieve long-term competitive advantages. This foundational article focuses in particular on the topics less addressed in the rest of the issue. It contextualizes ambidexterity in innovation management in terms of culture, leadership, and digitization, and provides arguments for why the acceptance and use of ambidexterity lead to competitive advantages.