ABSTRACT
Increasing complexity and volatility inevitably leads to a corresponding increase in the number of unexpected events facing the firm and often significant, even fatal, disruption. In the real world, strategic leaders face dual and contradictory pressures to be efficient in the management of business while also ensuring they are able to adapt to tomorrow’s opportunities and threats. Strategic leaders intuitively understand that they need to exploit short-term opportunities to remain relevant and solvent in short term and to fund the exploration and experimentation necessary to discover and exploit future opportunities. Essentially, thriving in complex environments depends on how well ambidexterity is put into effect and sustained as an enduring capability. Changing process levers involves changing strategy execution processes to have execution processes that enable realisation of exploratory strategies. Changing employee levers involves creating an environment that enables and encourages individuals to make their own judgements about how they pursue the competing demands for alignment and adaptability.
