The role of ambidextrous leadership and employee ambidexterity in enhancing service quality of care and creativity – a study of health professionals

Abstract

Abstract Background This study aims to empirically examine the role of ambidextrous leadership on employees’ ambidexterity and job-directed performance. Ambidextrous leadership encompasses a leader’s capability to stimulate exploitative and explorative activities in employees. Specifically, the study explores in detail how ambidextrous leadership is linked to two types of job-directed performance in health professionals, namely service quality of care and creativity, in addition to what role employee ambidexterity has in this relationship. Methods A cross-sectional survey was developed, and data were gathered through convenience sampling of N = 258 health professionals of in-home care services across municipalities based in Norway. The study’s conceptual model was analyzed through structural equation modeling partial least squares with SmartPLS 3 software. Mediation by Bootstrap was used to analyze the indirect relationships. Results Ambidextrous leadership was found to have a direct impact on both employee service and quality of care ($$\beta$$ = 0.236) and employee ambidexterity ($$\beta$$ = 0.395). The direct relationship between ambidextrous leadership and employee creativity was nonsignificant. However, the relationships between ambidextrous leadership and service quality of care and creativity were both mediated by employee ambidexterity. Finally, the results reveal that employee creativity mediated the relationship between employee ambidexterity and service quality of care. Conclusions The results show that ambidextrous leadership and employee ambidexterity promote the job-directed performance of health professionals. Thus, a practical implication is that health-care organizations should recruit, train, and develop their leaders to become ambidextrous leaders, in addition to being aware of the multiple direct and indirect effects of practicing ambidextrous leadership. Doing so will have a direct positive impact on the level of service quality and employee ambidexterity.