RT Vol X: Ch. 4: Becoming an Exponential Organization Through Achievement of Contextual Ambidexterity

From the Book: The Refractive Thinker® Vol X: Effective Business Strategies For the Defense Industry Sector

Summary

Small information technology and management consulting businesses face increasingly contradictory strategic choices as they develop products and services for the marketplace. Building contextual ambidexterity is essential to the survival of small businesses as they seek to attain a desired balance of alignment and adaptability. Ambidexterity is defined colloquially as the ability to be skillful and agile at using both hands, or in a business context, as the ability to focus on and balance the differing strategies of alignment and adaptability with equal success rates.

Never in human history have we seen so many technologies moving at such a staggering pace. Everything is being information-enabled around us. What’s more, as these technologies intersect (e.g., using deep-learning AI algorithms to analyze medical trial data), the pace of innovation accelerates even further. Each intersection adds yet another multiplier to the equation and even more complexity. So, what’s an organization to do in this time of significant disruption to current business models? Become an Exponential Organization. This chapter discusses how businesses might use the concept of contextual ambidexterity to achieve the status of Exponential Organization.