Bulding ambidexterity through creativity mechanisms: Contextual drivers of innovation success

Do creativity methods consistently produce a significant net effect on innovation? Are the impacts of creativity methods related to operating context? Based on an ambidexterity perspective, we examine the effectiveness of different creativity methods on overcoming the tensions of the innovation process at individual and team levels. Drawing on European Union Community Innovation Survey (CIS2010) data collected from 23,537 firms, we estimate causal effects of creativity on innovation through a multivalued treatment effect methodology. Our results show that implementing ambidexterity in creativity methods increases the firm´s propensity to innovate and to introduce a market novelty. However, the effect on firm turnover is not always clear. Also, we detect that ambidexterity is more effective in firms that are large in size, have high levels of R&D investment and operate in manufacturing sectors. We discuss the implications of these findings for practice and for future research.