Creating ambidexterity through quality management

Ambidexterity is the capability of an organisation to be aligned and efficient in managing current business demands (exploitation) and also be adaptive to changes in the environment (exploration). However, it is yet unclear how organisation-wide ambidexterity can be achieved. Research shows that quality management (QM) can improve exploitation, but it is also accused of dampening exploration. This conceptual paper aims to explore how some important QM practices can be designed and executed to support ambidexterity. We found that indeed these practices can contribute to both exploitation and exploration and in this way give rise to ambidexterity. Related to each of the discussed QM practice there are different activities; some of these contribute more to exploitation, others to exploration. The key contribution of this paper is that it chalks out the dynamics of ambidexterity creation through QM. The paper challenges management to apply QM practices in a way that supports both exploitation and exploration simultaneously.

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