TY - JOUR T1 - Process Ambidexterity for Entrepreneurial Firms JF - Technology Innovation Management Review Y1 - 2012 A1 - Sonia D. Bot KW - business management KW - exploitation KW - exploration KW - performance improvement KW - process ambidexterity KW - technology entrepreneurship AB - Technology-based entrepreneurial firms must effectively support both mainstream exploitation and new-stream exploration in order to remain competitive for the long term. The processes that support exploitation and exploration initiatives are different in terms of logistics, payoff horizons, and capabilities. Few firms are able to strike a balance between the two, where mainstream exploitation usually trumps new-stream exploration. The ultimate goal is for the firm to operate effectively in a repeatable, scalable, and systematic manner, rather than relying on good luck and hoping either to come up with the next innovation or for the product to function according to its requirements. This article builds on the author’s years of experience in building businesses and transforming medium and large-sized, entrepreneurial technology firms, leading large-scale breakthrough and sustained performance improvements by using and evolving Lean Six Sigma methodologies, and reviews of technology innovation management and entrepreneurship literature. This article provides a process-based perspective to understanding and addressing the issues on balancing mainstream exploitation and new-stream exploration in medium and large-sized entrepreneurial firms and extending it to startups. The resulting capability is known as process ambidexterity and requires disciplined, agile, and lean business management. VL - 2 UR - http://timreview.ca/article/547 IS - 4 U1 - Sonia Bot is a business executive who specializes in strategy and business execution for technology innovation and corporate entrepreneurship ventures. She has extensive experience in the high-tech industry, including business transformation and strategy, product management and delivery, and new venture creation within multinational technology companies. Her work experience includes Research In Motion, Nortel, Bell-Northern Research, IBM, and TransCanada Pipelines. She holds degrees in Computer Science with Systems Design / Electrical Engineering (BMath) from the University of Waterloo and Biomedical Engineering (MASc) from the University of Toronto, and she is a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt. ER -