Ambidextrous leadership, paradox and contingency: evidence from Angola

Miguel Pina e Cunha, Armanda Fortes, Emanuel Gomes*, Arménio Rego, Filipa Rodrigues

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

56 Citations (Scopus)
29 Downloads

Abstract

The study departs from two assumptions. First, it considers that organizations, their leaders and the HRM function are inherently paradoxical and that, in that sense, dealing with paradox is a necessary component of the leadership process which requires ambidexterity capabilities. Second, it explores whether the paradoxes of leadership may manifest differently in different contexts. We explore the emergence of paradox in the leadership of Angolan organizations. Angola is an economy transitioning from a centrally planned to a market mode, and this makes it a rich site for understanding the specificities of ambidextrous paradoxical processes in an under-researched, ‘rest of the world’, context. The findings of our inductive study led to the emergence of four interrelated paradoxes and highlight the importance of ambidextrous paradoxical work as a HRM contingency.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)702-727
Number of pages26
JournalInternational Journal of Human Resource Management
Volume30
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 21 Feb 2019

Keywords

  • Ambidexterity
  • Ambidextrous paradox work
  • HRM in Angola
  • Leadership

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