Key MBA Models

20

The ambidextrous organisation

For a firm to be successful over the long term, it has to be profitable today while also investing in its future. An ambidextrous organisation is one that gets this balance right: it is able to exploit its existing strengths and make money in the short term, while at the same time it is able to explore opportunities for future profitability and growth. Just as being ambidextrous means being able to use both the left and right hand equally, an ambidextrous organisation is one that is equally adept at exploration and exploitation.

When to use it

• To diagnose your firm’s long-term strategic position.
• To identify ways of getting the right balance between short-term and long-term thinking.
• To make changes to your ...