Should academics embrace ambidextrous leadership to future-proof their career?

Society’s approach to personal and business development has historically – sometimes unintentionally but often deliberately – encouraged us to adopt a single, fixed way to respond to change and uncertainty. To young scientists, a career appears linear and usually involves a doctoral, postdoctoral and later professorial position. Career decisions are mainly based on the direct experience of colleagues, on insights gathered at seminars given by other academicians and, more generally, on any assumptions that have proved effective before. 

We suggest that scientists shift their mindset and start considering themselves as leaders and independent decision-makers who can strategically design their career.

Recent socio-economic events such as conflict, technological advancements and changing consumer requirements have brought about irreversible changes to the way we work and to how organisations and institutions operate across many sectors and industries. Companies and professionals alike often struggle to leave behind established yet outdated ways to proceed, and scientists in academia are no exception. This article focuses on the concept of ambidextrous leadership, the reasons why it is increasingly relevant in today’s business landscape and how it can benefit scientists trying to future-proof their career. 

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Agility and speed in decision-making are becoming crucial, so leadership models that worked well during periods of stability and within predictable markets are falling short. Worldwide, organisations are now looking for models that combine the often-conflicting needs of stability and innovation, and short- and long-term priorities and goals. A strategic shift is required to develop solutions tailored to respond to intricate sets of challenges. For example, companies in highly regulated industries, such as banking or energy, often struggle with bureaucratic inertia and find it difficult to swiftly respond to changes in regulations or market dynamics. 

Not too differently, scientists often face complex bureaucratic processes to access funding, need to adapt the focus of their research to meet the vision of the funding agencies, and navigate in authorship disputes and rigid hierarchical structures in which having a supporting network can make or break a career. 

The concept of ambidextrous leadership was first used by Robert B. Duncan in 1976 to develop an approach that combines the exploitation of existing resources and capabilities with the exploration of new, innovative opportunities, and the nimbleness to go back and forth between the two effectively. It is seen among private companies. Procter & Gamble, for example, has introduced a programme that enables employees to work on innovative projects alongside their main tasks. This approach has led to the development of new products and improvements while the company carries out business-as-usual activities. Similarly, Microsoft has embraced ambidextrous leadership to shift towards cloud computing and AI by leveraging the company’s strengths in enterprise software while identifying new opportunities. 

Major global companies are not the only ones who can benefit from this leadership approach. New leadership strategies are usually tested in the private sector, but would they not apply to the academic sector as well? Better planned, strategic growth for long-term success could positively impact scientists’ career development.

In addition to the development of resilience and adaptability, ambidextrous leadership fosters innovation and creativity. In a competitive environment such as the research sector, professionals who can quickly identify and implement new ideas and solutions can gain a significant and sustainable advantage. 

Embracing an ambidextrous leadership approach would significantly help scientists in the academic field who want to carry on research projects while needing to plan their long-term career regardless of the short-term duration of the offered funding contracts. 

So, how can researchers embrace ambidextrous leadership principles?

Be flexible 

The ability to pivot and innovate in response to unpredictable events is no longer just a competitive advantage but a necessity for survival. Developing the ability to take quick decisions can be crucial and embracing change as a constant is a starting point. Sometimes experiments don’t go as planned and might lay the basis for research projects on topics you are not familiar with. Would you consider this to be an obstacle or a development opportunity? Have you talked to professionals from other sectors to explore opportunities?

Strive for a balance 

Ambidextrous leadership encourages the idea that different approaches and strategies can coexist in balance and one need not dominate the other. Organisations and individuals who can integrate seemingly contradictory elements are more likely to achieve long-term success. Do you spend all your time thinking about today’s problems without reflecting on your objectives for your career development in the long term? 

De-learn, learn and relearn 

The adoption of ambidextrous leadership requires a wide skill set that can only be acquired in a continuum. It might be a good idea to leave behind traditional knowledge to acquire new understanding through experimentation and learning from both successes and failures. Are you taking time to acquire new skills that are not immediately needed but that could be useful in the near future? Have you considered attending interesting training sessions (perhaps from other sectors) that might not be immediately applicable to your work?

If you are a scientist, it might be a good idea to build a network of supportive friends and colleagues who have a similar approach to combine short- and long-term career requirements. Make sure that you attend events on different topics or seminars led by visionary leaders, and pursue creativity-fostering passions such as art and poetry.

Ambidexterity requires investing time in ongoing training that can provide the skills needed to operate in the present dynamic environment but also in the future. This should focus not only on technical skills but also on often-overlooked soft skills such as creativity, collaboration and emotional intelligence. Scientists should thus look beyond education as their main strategic focus and explore how they can be at the forefront of research, how they can acquire knowledge and how they can effectively disseminate research results and insights, as well as encouraging cross-pollination between groups and projects.

To thrive, scientists willing to act as ambidextrous leaders need to be surrounded by the right organisational culture and by colleagues who support innovation and adaptability. Organisations should empower employees to take the initiative, experiment and introduce new ideas, even if they might at times fail. It is important to create a safe environment where failure is seen as an opportunity for learning and improvement rather than as an undesirable mistake. 

Greta Faccio is a scientific consultant in innovation in St Gallen, Switzerland. Valentina Lorenzon is a career and business strategist based in London, UK.

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