The mediating role of organizational identification in the relationship between ambidexterity and innovation

Innovation increasingly requires organizations to balance exploration and exploitation, a pattern referred to as an ambidextrous organizational culture. Prior research has established the importance of ambidexterity for innovation; however, the psychological mechanisms through which ambidextrous organizational contexts translate into employee behavior and work attitudes remain underexplored. This study draws on social identity theory to examine the mediating role of organizational identification in the relationships between ambidextrous organizational culture, follower ambidexterity, innovative behavior, and job satisfaction. A cross-sectional design was used to collect data from 449 employees working in the research and development division of a large organization in the energy sector. This study employed structural equation modeling to examine whether an ambidextrous organizational culture affects employees’ exploration and exploitation behaviors, innovative behavior, and job satisfaction, both directly and indirectly through organizational identification. The results show that ambidextrous organizational culture is positively related to job satisfaction and organizational identification. The findings also reveal organizational identification as a key psychological mechanism linking ambidextrous culture to follower ambidexterity, innovative behavior, and job satisfaction. Moreover, employee exploration is directly associated with innovative behavior, whereas exploitation is not, highlighting the asymmetric role of ambidextrous behaviors in individual-level innovation processes. This study integrates an identity-based perspective into research on ambidextrous culture and innovation, thereby advancing micro-foundational understandings of ambidexterity. Practically, the findings suggest that organizations can strengthen employees’ sense of organizational identification by fostering sustainable innovation and employee well-being through ambidextrous cultures.