Prøveforelesning og disputas - Hilde Hannevig

The defense will take place at 12:15. Thesis title:

"Key Drivers and Moderators for Organizational Ambidexterity and Long-Term Performance in SMEs"

Vice-Dean Petter Gullmark will lead the disputation.

Popular Science Summary

This thesis explores critical factors that can influence the long-term survival, financial performance, and growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It focuses on how SMEs can balance two strategies: optimizing current operations (exploitation) and exploring new opportunities through innovation and search (exploration)—a concept known as organizational ambidexterity (OA). While OA is widely studied in large firms, its relevance for SMEs, which face resource constraints and other unique challenges compared to large firms, remains under debate.
Through three studies, the thesis examines key drivers and moderating factors for successfully implementing OA strategies in SMEs. The first study, a Norwegian case using empirical interview data, explores key drivers of long-term survival and growth in SMEs, focusing on OA. A key finding from this thesis is the critical role of ambidextrous leadership, with leaders’ ability to flexibly realign strategies, adapt structures, and manage knowledge, learning, and networks emerging as vital for enabling OA. Ambidextrous leaders that were able to integrate network cooperations into their firms could leverage partnerships to access additional resources, share knowledge, mitigate risks, and explore innovations.
The second study used catch and revenue data from the Norwegian purse seine fleet to investigate the benefits of an OA strategy in strictly regulated industries. The findings indicates that in highly regulated industries, such as for the Norwegian purse seine fleet, SMEs may benefit from adopting an exploitative strategy if their primary goal is to optimize financial performance. Conversely, an OA strategy could prove more advantageous if the objective is to achieve volume growth.
The third study, an explorative multiple case study, investigates how CEO succession can influence an OA strategy over time. The empirical findings indicated that CEO succession could be a significant moderating factor for OA in SMEs since leadership transitions, if poorly managed, could disrupt OA strategies and lead to performance decline. The findings suggest that the successful continuity of an OA strategy during succession largely depended on incumbents’ ability to transfer networks, knowledge, and leadership skills to their successors. This transfer was most effective when conducted over time, through a prolonged relay phase supported by a culture of trust and openness.
The study findings indicate that SMEs can benefit from pursuing an OA strategy, provided that certain key drivers are in place. However, the successful pursuit of OA can be disrupted by moderating factors such as institutional regulations or CEO succession processes that may limit the effectiveness of OA strategies. Understanding and addressing these moderators’ influences is crucial for SMEs aiming to achieve long-term performance, growth, and sustainability through ambidexterity.
The thesis contributes to theory by integrating multiple theoretical perspectives, including OA theory, dynamic capability theory, and knowledge management theory, to provide a comprehensive understanding of OA in SMEs. By applying different theoretical lenses, this thesis addresses gaps in the literature by investigating the microfoundations of OA, such as leaders’ roles and structural dynamics. From a practical perspective, the findings underscore the importance of cultivating ambidextrous leaders who can effectively balance exploration and exploitation. Hence, SME leaders should prioritize fostering a culture of trust and innovation and adapting organizational structures to enable both knowledge and network sharing. These elements seem essential not only for developing ambidextrous leadership capabilities but also for sustaining OA over the long term.

Evaluation Committee:

• Professor Frode Nilssen, Nord Universitet (1. opponent)
• Associate Professor Helle Alsted Søndergaard, Aarhus University, Denmark (2. opponent)
• Associate Professor Anne-Grete Sandaunet, HHT (internal member and leader of the committee)

Supervisors:

• Professor Bernt Arne Bertheussen, HHT
• Professor Svein Ottar Olsen, HHT

Streaming site

Both the defense and the trial lecture will be streamed and recorded from panopto:

• Trial lecture
• Disputation

Thesis

The thesis is available through Munin