How does ambidextrous leadership influence technological innovation performance? An empirical study based on high-tech enterprises

ABSTRACT

The complex and changeable environment calls for entrepreneurs to adopt ambidextrous leadership (AL) strategies to balance the different demands within the organisation. Transformational and transactional leadership are the most widely studied leadership in the field of leadership and are regarded as an effective way to enhance enterprise technological innovation performance (ETIP) by scholars. However, previous studies have overlooked the complementary participation of these two paradoxical leadership behaviours in enterprise management as well as the influence of such complementary participation on employees’ psychological distance (PD). In order to make up for these gaps, this paper uses linear regression analysis, SEM, and ANOVA to explore the influence of AL on ETIP by empirically studying 308 functional department managers in 77 high-tech enterprises in China. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) AL has a significant positive impact on ETIP. (2) The positive impact of AL on ETIP is better than that of single transformational or transactional leadership. (3) PD partially mediates the relationship between AL and ETIP. The finding refines the academic understanding of the relationship between AL, PD, and ETIP, and is enlightening for entrepreneurs to effectively manage their enterprises.

KEYWORDS:

• Ambidextrous leadership
• psychological distance
• enterprise technological innovation performance

Acknowledgments

We thank the China Employee Relationship Management Research Team for their help in the data collection process, thank Dan Kennedy for his review.

Disclosure statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Notes

1 Official website: http://www.innocom.gov.cn/gxjsqyrdw/gswj/list.shtml

Additional information

Funding

This work is supported by the Natural Sciences Foundation of China (71771002), The Aeronautical Science Fund (2019ZG052001), and China Scholarship Council (NO.201706830084).

Notes on contributors

Hong Yang

Hong Yang is a doctoral student in Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, PR China.

Can Peng

Can Peng is a Professor in Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, PR China.

Gang Du

Gang Du is an Assistant Professor in Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, PR China.

Bing Xie

Bing Xie is a doctoral student in Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, PR China.

Jin S. Cheng

Jinshi Cheng is a Professor in Anhui Polytechnic University, Wuhu, PR China.