Abstract:
The current economic crisis has brought to the fore the
need for firms to deal with ambiguity and complexity.
Hence, firms need a specific balance between exploration
and exploitation in order to keep pace with varying and
changing environmental conditions. Hitherto, there is limited
research that has examined the nexus of HR architectures,
ambidexterity, and environmental dynamics. In this
conceptual paper we ask: How do HR architectures serve as a
means of balancing exploitative and exploratory learning in
different dynamic environments? We explain how exploratory,
exploitative, and ambidextrous HR architectures with their
embedded HRM systems on the business unit level enable
organizations to meet different environmental requirements.
Thus, firms in which heterogeneous demands for flexibility
and for innovation co-exist need to develop internally
differentiated HR architectures. In particular, we elucidate how
critical the organization’s ability is to connect different HRM
systems to create an ambidextrous HR architecture to find an
appropriate balance between exploration and exploitation.
