How important are individual learning ambidexterity and job autonomy for job performance?

This study examines the relationship between individual learning ambidexterity and job performance by using a bottom-up approach. We explored the balanced condition of learning ambidexterity, when employees focus equally on explorative and exploitative learning, and the imbalanced condition, when employees focus more on either explorative or exploitative learning. The study employed a quantitative research approach with polynomial regressions and surface test analyses to investigate 368 non-managerial consultants from Romanian companies. We tested two research hypotheses, exploring the relationship between individual learning ambidexterity and job performance, as well as the moderating effect of job autonomy. Our findings extend the literature on ambidexterity at the individual level by highlighting the roles of individual learning, ambidexterity, and job autonomy in improving job performance in the consulting industry.