Tomorrow is already here: Exploring how corporate foresight can contribute to ambidexterity

Abstract

Corporate foresight involves strategically exploring multiple potential futures and serves as a tool to guide organizational decision‐making processes. Despite its significance, a predominant focus on immediate, short‐term issues often characterizes the operational mindset of many companies. As a result, companies frequently encounter challenges in achieving organizational ambidexterity—the ability to balance and leverage both the exploitation of current capabilities and the exploration of new opportunities in the future. In this paper, we propose a theoretical investigation of corporate foresight. We develop a conceptual framework that delineates different relationships between corporate foresight and organizational ambidexterity, providing a structured approach to understand how these concepts interact and influence each other. Our framework proposes three ways corporate foresight can significantly enhance ambidexterity within organizations. First, corporate foresight can be pivotal in identifying and analyzing future trends and disruptions, which can inform strategic decision‐making. Secondly, corporate foresight can better align an organization's long‐term strategic goals and short‐term operational objectives, thus enhancing ambidexterity. Finally, corporate foresight can bridge different organizational units, promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing, aiding in developing a holistic approach to strategic planning that encompasses daily operational excellence and future‐oriented strategic posture.