The pursuit of individual ambidexterity by middle managers and their psychological well‐being

Abstract Companies increasingly demand ambidexterity from their middle managers, the ability to flexibly switch between exploitation (use and refine existing competencies) and exploration (explore new opportunities and ideas). From a job design perspective, ambidexterity is seen as a valuable form of job enrichment that can increase employee creativity, innovation and motivation. However, studies have also indicated that the demand for ambidexterity potentially leads to frustration, anger and stress. Despite these warnings, the possible negative impact on employee well‐being has received little attention in the literature. Hence, we explore the potential negative effects of demands for ambidexterity. Considering the moderating effect of the Big Five personality traits and team climate, the influence of the demand for ambidexterity on middle managers' well‐being is investigated using survey data collected from administrative middle managers working across different divisions and professions of the Swiss Post. The analysis of data from 1,657 participants suggests that the demand for ambidexterity does not generally pose a threat to middle managers' well‐being, yet at the same time does not provide a positive impact. It was also found that personality, in contrast to team climate, has a significant moderating effect with extraversion positively influencing the impact of the demand for ambidexterity on middle managers' well‐being, whilst conscientiousness and neuroticism have a negative influence. The findings challenge existing theory with wide‐reaching implications, suggesting that organisations need not fear demanding ambidexterity from their middle managers and that a more complex relationship exists between ambidexterity and affective well‐being than previously hypothesised.