The effects of adaptive management and ambidextrous leadership on sustainable business performance: Evidence from Indonesia’s telecommunications

Type of the article: Research ArticleAbstractThis study examines the effects of adaptive management and ambidextrous leadership on sustainable business performance. It addresses a growing managerial challenge: sustaining organizational performance amid technological disruption, intensifying competition, and structural transformation in emerging markets. The survey targeted senior and middle managers who are directly involved in strategic and operational decision-making, ensuring the relevance of responses to leadership and performance outcomes. Data were collected from 208 managerial-level respondents in Indonesian telecommunications companies between January and March 2025. The study applies partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the proposed research model. The results indicate that both adaptive management and ambidextrous leadership have positive and significant effects on sustainable business performance. However, ambidextrous leadership demonstrates a stronger effect (β = 0.637, t = 6.384) than adaptive management (β = 0.285, t = 2.512), with the model explaining 64.2% of the variance in sustainable business performance. These findings provide empirical evidence that leadership ambidexterity plays a dominant role in sustaining business performance in turbulent and dynamic environments. The study contributes to the literature by extending ambidexterity and adaptive management perspectives within the context of the telecommunications industry in an emerging market and offers practical insights for managers seeking to enhance sustainable business performance through adaptive and balanced leadership practices.AcknowledgmentWe would like to acknowledge Telkom University and Bina Nusantara university for providing the opportunity to conduct this analysis. We also acknowledge the APJII and Mastel associations for their willingness to participate as respondents and facilitate this research.