Cultural ambidexterity as a dynamic capability in entrepreneurial firms

Scholars ask how entrepreneurial firms can remain exploratory and innovative while also developing exploitation and execution capabilities. One stream of research focuses on organizational ambidexterity, defined as the dynamic capability to both innovate and execute simultaneously. Yet building such capability is difficult in fast growing entrepreneurial firms. In fact, it is not yet clear how cultural ambidexterity can be developed and managed in such firms. My theoretical paper addresses this question. Building on recent work in cognitive psychology, I argue that dynamic cognitive constructs act as carriers of culture, and that the deliberate management of such constructs can be used to develop and maintain cultural ambidexterity. I present a series of exploratory propositions and discuss implications for future research and practice.