Conceptualising behavioural ambidexterity and the effects on individual well-being

Academic work demands behavioural ambidexterity: the ability to simultaneously demonstrate exploration (creativity in research and/or in innovative teaching and learning practice) and exploitation (compliance with quality assurance). However, the effects of behavioural ambidexterity on the well-being of individual employees are not well known. We examine the relations between work design, behavioural ambidexterity and perceptions of well-being conceptually drawing on critical review of the three strands of literature. Our focus is on well-being, after a well-established holistic definition based on healthcare, philosophy, psychology and sociology literatures, which have converged on three core dimensions of well-being: psychological (happiness), physical (health) and social (relationships). We highlight the influence of personal circumstances and the role of agency in work design as two key antecedents of positive well-being outcomes.