The Library
How do owner managed businesses transform into ambidextrous organisations?
Tools
Brayshaw, Simon M. T. (2020) How do owner managed businesses transform into ambidextrous organisations? DBA thesis, University of Warwick.
|
PDF
WRAP_Theses_Brayshaw_2020.pdf - Submitted Version - Requires a PDF viewer. Download (2386Kb) | Preview |
Official URL: http://webcat.warwick.ac.uk/record=b3520224~S15
Abstract
Organisational ambidexterity research has traditionally focused on large firms. This research answers the call for longitudinal studies into how smaller owner managed businesses balance exploration and exploitation to transform themselves into an ambidextrous organisation. They have different characteristics such as resource availability, informal organisational structure and direct owner manager control, often with nebulous strategic orientation. Empirical research has tended to examine these specific categories and frameworks in isolation observing past behaviour or testing hypotheses.
This thesis takes a more holistic, dynamic and open approach via an action research case study that links three established ambidexterity frameworks to the practical implementation of predetermined interventions. This study benefits from the rare opportunity of the researcher also being operationally embedded, leading the design of the controlled action research interventions from theoretical frameworks. It observes a companywide transition to ambidexterity experiencing the dynamic impact of turbulence and complexity from pre-commencement analysis, initiation, conceptualisation, implementation and monitoring, over a three year time horizon.
This enabled real time, data rich findings and critical reflective analysis, which contrasts with the usual case study approach of observing past events outside of the researcher’s control trying to match actual events to theory. The research is supplemented by data from independent interviews of other owner managed businesses to verify and triangulate findings.
The resultant contribution is the design of a practical ambidexterity toolkit template combining for the first time three established theoretical frameworks. This toolkit presents a new practical five stage ambidexterity pathway supported by sixteen questions developed from practical findings. The first stage is a pre-commencement stage, ensuring a strategy exists which is aligned to ambidexterity. The second stage helps choose the appropriate initiation charter. The third stage conceptualises a plan tailored to a firm’s unique characteristics before implementing this plan as the fourth stage. The fifth monitoring stage acknowledges the dynamic longitudinal aspects and how to measure and monitor progress over the implementation time horizon to efficiently optimise exploration and exploitation balance. The five stage process allows a practitioner to take this standardised toolkit template and tailor it via sixteen questions to design a bespoke ambidextrous pathway, grounded in theory, acknowledging a firm’s unique characteristics and one size does not fit all.
Item Type: | Thesis (DBA) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management | ||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Organizational change -- Management, Organizational effectiveness, Organizational behavior, Business planning, Strategic planning | ||||
Official Date: | September 2020 | ||||
Dates: |
|
||||
Institution: | University of Warwick | ||||
Theses Department: | Warwick Business School | ||||
Thesis Type: | DBA | ||||
Publication Status: | Unpublished | ||||
Supervisor(s)/Advisor: | Stadler, Christian ; Colley, John L. | ||||
Format of File: | |||||
Extent: | 280 leaves : colour illustrations | ||||
Language: | eng |
Request changes or add full text files to a record
Repository staff actions (login required)
View Item |
Downloads
Downloads per month over past year