How humble leadership enhances organizational ambidexterity in emerging markets: the mediating role of AI adoption

Purpose This study examines how humble leadership boosts organizational ambidexterity and the mediating role of AI adoption in the relationship between leader humility and organizational ambidexterity. Accordingly, it sheds light on how leadership reinforces both AI adoption and ambidexterity in telecommunications firms operating in developing countries that are undergoing rapid digital transformation and high competitiveness. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a quantitative design based on survey responses from 340 employees in Egypt's telecommunications sector. The hypothesized relationships were tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.1.1.5. Findings Statistical analyses indicate that humble leadership positively influences AI adoption and exploration and exploitation, the dimensions of ambidexterity. AI adoption exerts a significant positive effect on both outcomes and partially mediates the relationship between humble leadership and ambidexterity. Practical implications The findings underscore the importance of cultivating humble, learning-oriented leadership to strengthen employees' readiness for AI-enabled processes and enhance ambidextrous performance. For policymakers, the results highlight the need to embed leadership development within national digital transformation agendas to accelerate technology assimilation in emerging markets. Originality/value This study advances the innovation and AI adoption literature by demonstrating that humble leadership functions both as a socio-behavioral driver that directly enhances organizational ambidexterity and as an enabling mechanism that indirectly strengthens ambidexterity through AI adoption. By integrating Upper Echelons Theory with the TOE framework in a developing-country context, the study clarifies how leaders' attributes reinforce AI adoption as an organizational enabler and, in turn, strengthen ambidextrous capabilities.