Title: Ambidexterity and intellectual capital architectures for developing dynamic capabilities: towards a research agenda

Authors: Susana Pasamar; Alvaro Lopez-Cabrales; Ramón Valle-Cabrales

Addresses: Management Department, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Carretera de Utrera, Km. 141013, Seville, Spain ' Management Department, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Carretera de Utrera, Km. 141013, Seville, Spain ' Management Department, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Carretera de Utrera, Km. 141013, Seville, Spain

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the contribution of ambidexterity and intellectual capital to the development of dynamic capabilities. According to prior research, dynamic capabilities require the ability to scan opportunities, seize them by means of inversions and reconfigure resources in order to succeed. Studies in this area have only begun to emerge. We adopt a structural approach to ambidextrous organisations derived from the view that dynamic capabilities need different organisational units with diverse architectures of intellectual capital for their development. We propose that sensing capacity will demand the exploration architecture of intellectual capital and seizing capacity will require the dual architectures of exploitation and exploration, depending on environmental circumstances. Reconfiguration capability demands an exploitation architecture. We suggest future research lines to empirically examine the proposed relationships.

Keywords: intellectual capital; dynamic capabilities; ambidextrous organisation; exploitation; exploration; ambidexterity; sensing capacity; seizing capacity; reconfiguration capability.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2015.066672

European Journal of International Management, 2015 Vol.9 No.1, pp.74 - 87

Published online: 31 Dec 2014 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article