Integrating Time Into Family Business Research Using Random Coefficient Modeling to Examine Temporal Influences on Family Firm Ambidexterity

Organizational ambidexterity refers to a firm’s ability to pursue both exploitation and exploration orientations. Despite research that suggests ambidexterity is a critical phenomenon in family firms, few studies directly examine the role of ambidexterity over time in family business. This study exa...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inFamily business review Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 20 - 34
Main Authors Allison, Thomas H., McKenny, Aaron Francis, Short, Jeremy Collin
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.03.2014
Subjects
family firms
ambidexterity
time
random coefficient modeling
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Organizational ambidexterity refers to a firm’s ability to pursue both exploitation and exploration orientations. Despite research that suggests ambidexterity is a critical phenomenon in family firms, few studies directly examine the role of ambidexterity over time in family business. This study examines how family firm ambidexterity changes over time as a result of temporal-, firm-, and industry-level factors. We find that family firm ambidexterity is stable over time, punctuated by dramatic changes. We also find that the level of innovation required to compete in an industry is a predictor of changes in exploration versus exploitation over time among family firms.
ISSN:0894-4865
1741-6248
DOI:10.1177/0894486513494782