Change and innovation at the Canada School: an investigation into the antecedents of organizational ambidexterity

This case study examines the antecedents present in the transformation of the Canada School from its founding to its present state characterized by structural ambidexterity. It provides insights into how an organization's history affects the development of a shared value and belief system focused on continuously searching for new innovations, seizing upon them, and reconfiguring organizational assets to capitalize upon them. Through the use of a single case, the history of the Canada School is traced through five stages of growth. The Canada School was founded in order to deliver education to children with learning difficulties. This school was one of the first of its kind to be developed specifically for children with these challenges. In the beginning stages, the Canada School was forced to constantly move from location to location, culminating in its near closure. Because of an explicit decision to survive and grow, the senior leaders and employees of the Canada School developed a shared system of values and beliefs that led to a constant need to develop incremental innovations (exploitation) along with radical innovations (exploration). This need ultimately led the Canada School to adopt structural ambidexterity. This research finds evidence concurrent with hypotheses in ambidexterity research, including that (1) structural ambidexterity is superior to contextual ambidexterity in the simultaneous pursuit of exploration and exploitation (2) inter-organizational relationships can act as a conduit of new knowledge that enhances an organization's ability to innovate and (3) organizational history deeply affects and influences the beliefs and values of an organization, including management cognition as it related to balancing exploration and exploitation activities. --Leaf ii.