Wie technologische Faktoren Ambidextrie in Software-Projekten beeinflussen

Organizations are making substantial efforts to improve their ambidexterity, i.e., their ability to achieve both exploitation goals (e.g., efficiency, predictability) and exploration goals (e.g., adaptiveness, innovation). Although the practice literature suggests that the technology used in software projects can play a vital role in this regard, there is little research on how technological factors influence ambidexterity in software projects. In this study, we investigate the roles of three technological factors: continuous integration, standardization, and microservice architecture. The results of a multi-informant survey of 95 projects in Switzerland and Denmark show that continuous integration and standardization are associated with higher ambidexterity, while the relationship between microservice architecture and ambidexterity is insignificant. Our article goes beyond existing research by showing that continuous integration and standardization can promote not only exploitation but also exploration. We also discuss reasons for the insignificant connection between microservice architecture and ambidexterity.