Perils of Ambidexterity: Initial Evidence of Tensions in an ISD Setting

Prior research argues that ambidexterity – excelling at both exploration and exploitation – allows firms to better weather dynamic global market strains and strive in competitive markets. While the recent technology advancements have provided firms to become ambidextrous, the simultaneous exploration of incumbent technologies and exploitation of new technologies purport to create substantial tensions within firms. Such tensions are especially pronounced in the information systems development (ISD) setting. Drawing evidence from a large qualitative data sample, this study introduces four tensions that arise when ISD projects strive to achieve ambidexterity. The study further demonstrates how such tensions compromise ISD project performance