Title: The impact of ambidexterity in supply chain capabilities on manufacturing performance: examples from the global semiconductor industry

Authors: Nehemiah Scott

Addresses: College of Business and Innovation, The University of Toledo, 1031 Stranahan Hall, 2801 West Bancroft St., Toledo, OH 43606, USA

Abstract: As environmental complexity and economic turbulence continue to rise, an organisation's ability to quickly and continually respond to changing market conditions is increasingly important and heavily reliant on those supply chain capabilities that enable the firm to communicate with their chain partners, streamline supply chain operations and quickly respond to unforeseen industry changes. This responsiveness means that firms must be able to simultaneously balance the conflicting tensions associated with managing existing and growth product markets in a timely fashion. Using the concept of ambidexterity, this conceptual study examines the impacts that a manufacturer's ambidextrous supply chain technological capability has on its supply chain integration and ambidexterity in supply chain responsiveness, and ultimately on its performance. Propositions are given, with each one being accompanied by an example from the global semiconductor industry. Lastly, contributions, research limitations, and research and managerial implications are discussed.

Keywords: ambidexterity; exploration; exploitation; technological capability; supply chain integration; supply chain management; SCM; supply chain responsiveness; supply chain capabilities; manufacturing performance; semiconductor industry; supply chain performance.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLSM.2016.074718

International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, 2016 Vol.23 No.3, pp.394 - 417

Received: 16 Jun 2014
Accepted: 23 Nov 2014
Published online: 16 Feb 2016 *

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