Essays on Ambidexterity in Practice: From Followership to Entrepreneurial Innovation in an Emerging Economy.

Abstract

Entrepreneurs in emerging economies operate in highly volatile environments, where innovative behaviour is not optional but necessary for survival and growth. The ability to balance the pursuit of novelty while optimising existing capabilities is undeniably recognised as central to innovation and performance. Yet the bulk of existing research remains leader-centric, overlooking the paradoxical tensions of ambidexterity at the individual level and rarely extending to entrepreneurs navigating institutionally constrained contexts. This study addresses these gaps through three independent yet interrelated papers, collectively exploring ambidexterity in practice from a follower perspective as a response to an ambidextrous leader and entrepreneurial innovation in Nigeria’s emerging economy, focusing on how women entrepreneurs turn institutional barriers into opportunities.
The first paper focuses on the role of followers in response to a leader’s two-handed innovative behaviours. It explores how Nigerian small and medium enterprises rely not only on leaders but also on followers’ interpretation of those behaviours, using the mediating role of implicit leadership theory. It demonstrates that follower perception is crucial in determining whether ambidextrous leadership translates into innovative behaviour among followers. Empirical findings confirm implicit leadership theory as a partial mediator between leader behaviour and follower responses, underscoring the active role employees play in co-constructing the bilateral process of leadership. This paper advances research by shifting emphasis away from leaders, offering managers practical insights into how follower training and engagement can strengthen ambidexterity not just at a micro level but also at a meso level.
The second paper extends this discussion by exploring the dark sides of balancing exploration and exploitation at an individual level. Although this balance enhances innovative behaviour, the paradoxical demands can generate job stress, role ambiguity, and role conflict for employees. Employing quantitative methods to test hypotheses, this study links ambidextrous demand to negative outcomes. The findings extend paradox theory by exploring the counterproductive effects of ambidexterity at an individual level. Rather than treating ambidexterity as an unequivocal organisational good, the study calls for a balanced approach that recognises employee well-being as central to sustaining long-term innovation. The paper provides strategies to mitigate strain through interactive training and improved communication between leaders and employees.
Observing that the majority of enterprises in the first two papers were either women-owned or women-managed yet exhibited masculine traits or a preference for business ownership over employment, the findings from the first two papers did not fully account for these patterns, which informed the third paper’s approach. Shifting focus from a quantitative to a qualitative methodology, this study used semi-structured interviews and observations of ethnically diverse women entrepreneurs to analyse how these women navigated an environment characterised by institutional voids, using adaptive strategies and cross-ethnic networks despite gender constraints on resource access. The findings reframe institutional voids as spaces for grassroots entrepreneurial innovation.
Collectively, these three papers position ambidexterity as a multi-level lived practice with both benefits and drawbacks, extending theory to include followership, individual-level tensions, and innovation in constrained contexts, while offering practical insights for fostering sustainable innovation in emerging economies. It provides actionable insights for managers, policymakers, and entrepreneurs seeking to foster sustainable innovative behaviour in an emerging economy.

Date of Award	29 May 2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Bangor University
Sponsors	Bangor University
Supervisor	Azhdar Karami (Supervisor) & Siwan Mitchelmore (Supervisor)