This annotated bibliography evaluates Smith and Tushman's 2005 article "Managing Strategic Contradictions: A Top Management Model for Managing Innovation Streams," published in Organization Science. The annotation covers the article's authorship credentials, core content, intended audience, logical framework, and writing style. The article centers on the paradox of balancing short-term operational performance with long-term innovation, framing this tension through the concepts of "exploiting" and "exploring." The annotation concludes that the article offers a practical model for executive management teams and researchers seeking to understand how organizations can sustain both current operations and future-oriented innovation simultaneously.
Smith, W., & Tushman, M. (2005). Managing strategic contradictions: A top management model for managing innovation streams. Organizational Science, 522–536.
This article was published in 2005 in a highly reputable journal. The credentials of the authors and their institutional affiliations are excellent. One of the authors is affiliated with Harvard Business School, one of the leading business schools in the world. Organization Science is widely recognized as one of the top journals in the fields of strategy, management, and organization theory. The journal publishes groundbreaking research about organizations, including their processes, structures, technologies, identities, capabilities, forms, and performance.
This article centers on the idea of paradox in management: "The paradox of administration [involves] the dual searches for certainty and flexibility." When this paradox is applied to modern organizations, it can be used to consider how innovation works and to map out what is referred to as an "innovation stream." Building an innovation stream is something of a paradox in management because the organization must perform well in the short term, yet retain enough flexibility to adapt to internal and external changes. This article outlines a model that can help management find the right balance between focusing on current operations and building future innovations.
"Identifies researchers, executives, and graduate students"
The logic of the article is grounded in the organizational balance between "exploiting" and "exploring." Exploiting is what most organizations focus on and involves maximizing profitability at every possible opportunity. Exploring is the act of innovation — coming up with new processes and ideas. The argument is that the most competitive organizations will balance both imperatives by managing day-to-day functions while simultaneously allowing employees the opportunity to explore new ideas. This tension is sometimes discussed in the management literature under the concept of organizational ambidexterity.
"Assesses professional quality and formatting of the article"
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