Simultaneous pursuit of innovation and efficiency in complex engineering projects--a study of the antecedents and impacts of ambidexterity in project teams

Projects, as the common unit of organizing complex tasks, often feature unique challenges that require both radical innovation and incremental improvements to processes and solutions to deliver the project within constraints. Both exploration and exploitation are likely to be needed for complex engineering projects to succeed. This study, through an in-depth case study of a complex infrastructure project in New Zealand that was facing unique challenges and a tight budget and schedule, investigates the antecedents of ambidexterity and the effect of ambidexterity on project performance.