Leveraging Open E-Logistic Standards to Achieve Ambidexterity in Supply Chain

This paper examines how open e-logistic standards (OELS) affect firm performance through developing supply chain ambidexterity. We conceptualize supply chain process ambidexterity as the ability of a firm to simultaneously develop alignment and process adaptability capabilities. A questionnaire was designed to collect data from Mainland China. To test the hypotheses, three-stage least squares estimation was employed. The results show that OELS adoption can enhance supply chain process ambidexterity and positively impact operational and financial performance. The influence of ambidexterity on operational performance is constrained by relationship duration while its influence on financial performance is enhanced by the number of suppliers. Our study suggests that OELS, through balancing the contradictory requirements of integration and flexibility, can lead to ambidexterity in the supply chain. This study contributes to the ambidexterity literature and interorganizational systems literature by empirically confirming that OELS are effective boundary-spanning mechanisms to leverage organizational ambidexterity.