Many hands make light work: the cross-level influence of top management team behavioral integration on group ambidextrous innovation

Purpose This study aims to explore the cross-level effect of the top management team (TMT) on group ambidextrous innovation and to analyze the mediating role of group behavioral integration and the moderating effect of group expertise heterogeneity. Design/methodology/approach We conducted a multi-source and multi-stage survey. We collected valid data from 43 companies in China, resulting in 141 samples from 43 TMTs and 462 valid responses from 111 organizational groups. The proposed theoretical model and hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. Findings The study findings demonstrated that TMT behavioral integration was positively related to group behavioral integration. Group behavioral integration mediates the relationship between TMT behavioral integration and these two types of innovations. Furthermore, we found that group expertise heterogeneity magnified the positive effect of group behavioral integration on exploratory innovation. Originality/value This study reveals the cross-level effects of TMT behavioral integration on other organizational groups and enriches the existing literature on TMT behavioral integration and ambidextrous innovation.