Fostering Ambidextrous Innovation in Infrastructure Projects: Differentiation and Integration Tactics of Cross-Functional Teams
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 147, Issue 6
Abstract
In infrastructure project practice, balancing and maximizing the combined effect of exploratory and exploitative innovation have attracted increasing attention, but it is still unclear how to foster ambidextrous innovation in infrastructure projects. To address this gap, we draw on the differentiation–integration framework of ambidexterity theory to deconstruct tactics for fostering ambidextrous innovation in infrastructure projects. A total of 313 observations were collected from infrastructure under construction, and the path hypotheses were tested by hierarchical regression. The findings suggest that in infrastructure projects, task conflict and expertise integration of diverse cross-functional teams provide powerful and complementary tactics for fostering ambidextrous innovation. The moderating effect of team autonomy support on the impact of team diversity on differentiation and integration tactics presents three different results. This study not only enriches the literature on how to foster ambidextrous innovation in infrastructure projects but also expands the ambidexterity research at the cross-functional team level and in infrastructure project contexts.
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Data Availability Statement
Data generated or analyzed during the study are available from the corresponding author by request.
Acknowledgments
The work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 71871164). We gratefully acknowledge Director Weixiu Zhang of the Urban and Rural Planning Bureau of Taiyuan City, who helped us contact many executives of infrastructure projects under construction.
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Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 147 • Issue 6 • June 2021
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Aug 11, 2020
Accepted: Dec 23, 2020
Published online: Apr 8, 2021
Published in print: Jun 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Sep 8, 2021
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