Is distributed leadership a driving factor of innovation ambidexterity? An empirical study with mediating and moderating effects

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how and when distributed leadership (DL) enhances innovation ambidexterity by considering knowledge sharing as a mediator and element of organizational structure as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach Data obtained from 269 questionnaires were analyzed empirically to reveal the relationship of the variables. Findings The results suggest that DL has a positive effect on innovation ambidexterity, and the relationship was partially mediated by knowledge sharing. Connectedness positively moderated the relationship between knowledge sharing and innovation ambidexterity. Practical implications The complexity and ambiguity that organizations often experience increases the difficulty for a single leader to successfully perform necessary leadership functions. The results show that DL is crucial to the promotion of innovation ambidexterity. Originality/value By building on organizational learning theory and integrating insights from knowledge creation theory, this study extends the prior research by uncovering the mechanism through which DL promotes innovation ambidexterity and the moderating effect of informal organizational structure.