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Julian Jerzy Karl Szlang
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Szlang
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Julian Jerzy Karl
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+41 71 224 23 70
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PublicationAmbidextrous leadership climate - empirical studies on firm-level effects & practical enrichmentCompanies increasingly face the contradictory demands of developing ambidexterity. That is, the ability to balance incremental business optimization and create disruptive innovations to secure a long-term competitive advantage. Building ambidexterity poses a challenge as new growth activities frequently involve business models, capabilities, and organizational contexts that are often inconsistent with those used in established businesses. Scholars have developed the ambidextrous leadership style to address such challenges. Ambidextrous leaders must balance current and new activities, integrate short- and long-term thinking, and craft an emotionally engaging vision while remaining focused on execution. Nonetheless, conceptual problems and significant theoretical gaps limit the applicability of the construct. I address these issues in three studies. Study 1 draws on a sample of over 16,000 employees from 94 companies and shows that an ambidextrous leadership climate positively affects organizational performance through collective work engagement. This effect is most pronounced when competitive pressure is high. Study 2 relies on 26 expert interviews and outlines an advanced ambidextrous leadership construct. In particular, I identify a set of purpose-oriented behaviors that enable ambidextrous leaders to mobilize their work-forces' full potential based on inspiring shared goals. Study 3 examines a sample of over 16,000 employees from 88 companies and proposes that a more pronounced ambidextrous leadership climate increases organizational innovation implementation through collective creativity. However, the effect is only evident given a high inspirational leadership climate. In sum, I further develop the ambidextrous leadership construct and illustrate that it is not an 'all-purpose weapon,' but rather its effectiveness depends on specific situational characteristics and mechanisms. Future research may equally use this work as a starting point to further investigate the construct's theoretical significance and develop its practical use.Type: doctoral thesis