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Abstracts coded at 31 dec 2022
171
Papers coded & annotated here
at 31 Dec 2022
16
Total number papers found 
277

Coding tensions in the organizational ambidexterity literature

There are always decisions: Add and feature or improve performance, ship today or run more tests, buy or rent, do a coaching course or stick to the skills you have?

Within decisions and paradoxes are tensions. Usually healthy, always pulling on us. 
I am looking for those tensions in the peer-reveiwed literature, and coding them.

The commonest tension is a competition (for resources) to "explore" new opportunities or "exploit" existing investments. Firms must take the profits from their existing investments (short-term exploitation) and also innovate to avoid future obsolecence. 

Most scholars cite (March, 1991), but I prefer the later paper (Levinthal & March, 1993). It too has a great summary of the problem of balancing the pursuit of new knowledge with exploiting things already known, plus it explains the mechanisms that create inertia and short-termism in organizations.

December 4, 2023
The HOW of Transformation

The HOW of Transformation recorded at the Global Digital Transformation Summit in Berlin 2023 Summary Managers who manage tensions enjoy greater performance, especially in complex and dynamic environments. In this 36-minute talk: I tell the story of Transport for London's transformation from a one-sided fares Operator to an integrated Developer-Operator. And show how technologists using […]

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January 9, 2025
Levelling-up digitally disadvantaged public and third sectors: Tensions Management research

Ever wondered why managers struggle to overcome resistance to change? Why institutions consistently talk about improvement but cannot increase operational efficiency? And why do some sectors perform so badly when compared with others? Tensions Management is a better way to overcome resistance to change, as it addresses social and technical factors simultaneously. Dr Russ Lewis […]

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December 31, 2023
Transformation research update

'Managing Tensions not People' as transformation method research update at the end of 2023 This time last year I was searching through the ambidexterity literature for tensions other than the usual explore-exploit. I built a website to publish my progress online, which I think was a diversion! Literature research update I found more than 70 […]

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Copyright Russ Lewis 1994-2025
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