Where does individual ambidexterity come from under digital work context? Inclusive leadership, team knowledge acquisition, and team knowledge sharing

Purpose The purpose of this study is to contribute to empirical research on individual ambidexterity drivers. This paper analyzes the relationships between inclusive leadership, team knowledge acquisition, team knowledge sharing, digital tools usage and individual ambidexterity. Design/methodology/approach This study conducted a questionnaire survey of high-tech and manufacturing enterprises in China and obtained 75 leader questionnaires and 365 employee questionnaires. The hypotheses were tested using hierarchical and cross-level regressions. Findings The research indicates that inclusive leadership improves team knowledge acquisition and sharing. However, only team knowledge sharing significantly boosts individual ambidexterity, and not team knowledge acquisition. Thus, inclusive leadership fosters individual ambidexterity primarily through team knowledge sharing. Digital tools usage strengthens the impact of inclusive leadership on team knowledge sharing, thereby intensifying its effect on individual ambidexterity. However, digital tools usage weakens the effect of inclusive leadership on team knowledge acquisition. Originality/value First, this study addresses the call for research on ambidexterity at different levels, revealing the heterogeneous impact of team knowledge acquisition and sharing on individual ambidexterity. Second, this study developed a theoretical model to explore how leadership affects individual ambidexterity. Third, this study responds to the question that digitalization has won, but has leadership lost by investigating the role of digital tools usage in the relationship between inclusive leadership and team knowledge integration.