The Influence of Boundary-spanning Search on Organizational Ambidexterity Capacity: An Empirical Research in the Chinese Context

Open innovation system has been identified as a key competency for sustained success in the competitive market. More and more firms prefer external heterogeneity resources to remedy resource endowment and capability structural defects. The study focuses on the questions of whether or not the boundary-spanning search (BSS) affects the organizational ambidexterity capacity (OAC) and how it is influenced. Based on the sampling investigation of 338 firms in China, we use structural equation model to explore influential mechanisms of BSS behaviors on the OAC. The main results are shown as following: First, the BSS behavior of firms can be divided into two dimensions--organizational and technological boundary spanning--which can be further divided into 1) technology-driven and market-driven BSS, 2) generic technology-oriented and product technology-oriented BSS. Secondly, the different dimensions have variant influences on OAC. Technology-driven and generic technology-oriented BSS have positive influences on exploratory capabilities, while market-driven, generic technology-oriented and product technology-oriented BSS have positive influence on exploitative capabilities. Thirdly, the research breaks through the theoretical assumption of the OAC and finds that the OAC is not absolutely exclusive; the exploratory capabilities have significant positive impact on exploitative capabilities. The conclusions expand the perspective and dimension of organization search theory, which enrich the empirical studies about organizational ambidexterity in the context of emerging economy.