3. METHODOLOGY
6.3 Suggestions for future research
6.3 Suggestions for future research
Further research on ambidexterity is required to replenish the research on this part of management literature given the incomplete empirical evidence for the ambidexterity hypothesis (He & Wong, 2004).
The informants in this research were growth-oriented entrepreneurs at SMEs. By conducting research on the management level, how entrepreneurs manage tensions and balance
ambidexterity was evaluated. Employee participation and the entrepreneur’s role as a frontline manager were found important in achieving ambidexterity and managing tensions.
This finding calls for further empirical research about the role of employees and entrepreneurs as research subjects in achieving ambidexterity and balancing tensions in SMEs.
This finding connects studies of individual-level ambidexterity (Zimmermann et al., 2015;
2018; Yu et al., 2020; Úbeda-García, 2020; Chen, 2017; Yeganegi et al., 2019; Bruyaka &
Prange, 2020), underlining the role of employees and frontline managers in achieving ambidexterity. To understand the role of employees while balancing ambidexterity and managing tensions in growth-oriented SMEs, future studies at individual levels are needed.
Research focusing on the paradoxical mindset of entrepreneurs at growth-oriented SMEs could bring more evidence about the role of paradox mindset at SME setup to achieve ambidexterity and manage tensions.
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