Integrating Structural IT Ambidexterity: A Multiple Case Study

To enhance their capability for innovation, many established organizations are setting up IT units, referred to as agile IT, dedicated to exploring new technologies and the development of innovative solutions (IT exploration). These units may be structurally separated from the established IT function, referred to as traditional IT, which retains responsibility for the exploitation of the existing IT assets (IT exploitation). Pursuing IT exploration and IT exploitation with such separation is commonly referred to as structural IT ambidexterity. The two organizational units, agile IT and traditional IT, are differentiated in their objectives, management approaches, cultures and ways of working, but are however interdependent. With the features of differentiation and interdependence in mind, we draw on organizational literature to formulate five propositions relating to the integration of differentiated agile IT and traditional IT units whose ultimate aim is the achievement of the organization’s goals. We aim to validate these propositions with a multiple case study.