Exploring Exploration Orientation and its Determinants: Some Empirical Evidence*

Abstract

 Adopting an information-process perspective, this article conceptualizes exploration orientation in terms of scope of information acquisition. In line with this conceptualization, a multidimensional operational measure of exploration orientation is developed and its internal consistency established. The measure appears to have nomological validity in that it behaves as predicted with measures of variables hypothesized to be related to exploration orientation. Consistent with the emerging co-evolution framework, environmental pressures as well as managerial intentions are found to influence an organization's exploration behaviour. Specifically, empirical results indicate that more environmental dynamism, a stronger organization mission, a prospector orientation and larger slack resources are associated with a greater exploration orientation. Implications, shortcomings and future research directions are discussed.

Customer Co-Creation and Exploration of Emerging Technologies: The Mediating Role of Managerial Attention and Initiatives

“…This requirement is even greater when the business environment becomes more uncertain (Jansen et al, 2006;Kim and Rhee, 2009;Sidhu et al, 2004), and particularly when exogenous shocks or revolutionary transformations such as major technological changes render organizations' core technologies and sources of competitive advantage obsolete (Romanelli and Tushman, 1994;Tushman and Anderson, 1986). Exploratory behavior concerns the discovery of new products, services and markets through enactment and interpretations, rather than planned improvements in performance, and such behavior is known to be crucial for established organizations dealing with a technological change that makes their existing knowledge less useful (McGrath, 2001).…”

To Continue Prospecting: Performance Implications of Combinative Capabilities and Explorative Learning

“…Due to the absence of a generally accepted measure of exploration orientation, experimentation was integrated in this study as another dimension in explorative learning besides em-ploying information acquisition dimension based on the work of Sidhu, Volberda and Commandeur (2004). This attempt will enrich the scant literature on exploration orientation measurement and allow the development of a more comprehensive measurement of explorative learning.…”

“…This attempt will enrich the scant literature on exploration orientation measurement and allow the development of a more comprehensive measurement of explorative learning. Works from Yeung, Ulrich, Nason and Von Glinow (1999) were compiled to measure experimentation and measurements used by Sidhu, Volberda and Commandeur (2004) were used to measure information acquisition.…”

Fighting the Bear and Riding the Bull: Exploitation and Exploration During Times of Recession and Recovery

“…For example, these managers have the power to prevent short-term performance pressures, salient to lower-level managers, from overwhelming the need for more explorative developments (Adler, Goldoftas, and Levine, 1999). Sidhu, Volberda, and Commandeur (2004) provide empirical evidence that managerial attention significantly influences an organization's explorative orientation. As such, the allocation of managerial attention to matters (e.g., exploitation-exploration) is often used to explain firm behavior (e.g., Barnett, 2008;Bouquet and Birkinshaw, 2008;Gavetti et al, 2012).…”