SUSTAINABILITY-ORIENTED TECHNOLOGY EXPLORATION: MANAGERIAL VALUES, AMBIDEXTROUS DESIGN, AND SEPARATION DRIFT

Sustainability is a key societal challenge and has become an opportunity for innovation. While start-ups are prone to enter such new territories, established companies more hesitant leave current trajectories embrace uncertainty linked sustainability-oriented exploration. We present case of conventional high-tech firm owner-manager whose strong values universalism led him initialise diversification by exploring renewable energy technologies. Our longitudinal study uncovers how changes in ambidextrous organisational design represented managerial ultimately resulted failed contribution threefold: First, we link individual-level with organisational-level phenomena exploration diversification. Second, contribute bridging hitherto mostly separate bodies literature on innovation ambidexterity better understand firms can deploy their technological capabilities sustainability. Third, conceptualise the “separation drift” as fading separation resulting failure.