From individual to team ambidexterity: the moderating role of collaborative behavior and international experience

ABSTRACT

The present study examines whether individual ambidexterity affects students’ team ambidexterity. In addition, the moderating role of collaborative behaviour and international experience is examined in the relationship between individual and team ambidexterity. Companies need ambidextrous teams and, therefore, student training becomes fundamental to develop them for the future. Our research understands ambidexterity as a behavioural capability, and it focuses on university students at individual level and groups of students at team level as our target audience. A sample of 168 students on management degrees at Spanish universities was used to test the proposed model. Individual ambidexterity was seen to have a positive effect on team ambidexterity, and both collaborative behaviour and international experience increased the effect of individual ambidexterity on group ambidexterity. This suggests that universities and business schools can play an important role in developing ambidexterity, creating a context in which teams develop ambidextrous capabilities.

KEYWORDS:

• Individual ambidexterity
• group ambidexterity
• collaborative behaviour
• international experience

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Generalitat Valenciana, Conselleria d'Innovació, Universitats, Ciència i Societat Digital [GVA/2019/159]; Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness and the State Research Agency [ECO2015-71380-R].