Top Managers' cognition facilitates organisational ambidexterity: The mediating role of cognitive processes

• Published in: European management journal Vol. 37; no. 5; pp. 589 - 600
• Main Authors: Wilms, Rafael, Winnen, Lothar A., Lanwehr, Ralf
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-10-2019; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Cognition; Cognition & reasoning; Cognitive Frames; Differentiation; Exploitation; Group processes; Handedness; Integrative Complexity; Leadership; Managerial skills; Managers; Organisational Ambidexterity; Organizational behavior; Teams; Top management; Top Manager; Top Manager; Cognitive Frames; Organisational Ambidexterity; Integrative Complexity
• ISSN: 0263-2373; 1873-5681
• DOI: 10.1016/j.emj.2019.03.006

It is empirically founded and tested that top management team group processes facilitate ambidexterity, whereas the role of top managers' cognition has remained empirically largely neglected. This study contributes to the literature of top managers' cognition by theoretically developing the relationship between cognitive frames and organisational ambidexterity, and the mediating process of cognitive differentiation and integration. The study empirically tests the proposed model in cross-sectional design by employing a sample of 101 top managers, using partial least squares structural equation modelling.
The study shows that top managers' paradoxical frames encourage the engagement in cognitive differentiation and integration, whereas top managers' paradoxical frames are not significantly related to organisational ambidexterity. Solely appreciating exploitation and exploration does not foster ambidexterity, but is an antecedent for top managers' cognitive differentiation and integration. Top managers' cognitive differentiation and integration mediate the relationship between top managers' paradoxical frames and organisational ambidexterity. Additionally, top managers' cognitive integration moderates the effect between top managers' cognitive differentiation and organisational ambidexterity, which stresses the pivotal role of top managers' cognitive integration.