Discussion of the concept of ambidexterity in process management

Abstract

The article addresses the issue of differences in the translation of the term ambidexterity, which is equated in the Polish literature with such terms as ambidextrousness, two-handedness, double-agility, ambivalence, or duality. The choice of the Polish term is of significance for intuitive understanding of this phenomenon by both researchers and non-specialists, including practitioners. The main objective is to systematize the terminological issues and thus propose a Polish translation of the term ambidexterity, in the discipline of management and quality sciences, in the sub-discipline of process management. Methods such as bibliometric analysis and a review of the Polish literature on the subject, using the Publish or Perish database, were used to achieve the main objective. The results of the study and the conclusions formulated contribute to the current knowledge regarding the discussion on the Polish equivalent of the term ambidexterity. In the Authors' opinion, the concept most fully and accurately reflecting the context of the contradiction between exploitative and exploratory activities in process management, within the sphere of the discussed BPM issues, is duality. The article is original in nature because, even if partially, it fills the cognitive gap concerning the sparsity of publications addressing the integrative view of ambidexterity and BPM.