Organisational Ambidexterity and the Performance of Nigerian Multinationals in Turbulent International Markets

This dissertation examines the role of organisational ambidexterity, the simultaneous pursuit of exploitation of existing capabilities and exploration of new opportunities, in determining the performance of Nigerian multinationals operating in turbulent international markets. Nigerian firms with international operations have faced compounding environmental turbulence arising from COVID-19, commodity price shocks, currency crises, and geopolitical disruptions across their African and diaspora market portfolios, making ambidextrous organisational capacities a potentially critical performance differentiator. The study employs a multi-level mixed-methods design combining a structured survey of 120 senior managers in 24 Nigerian multinationals with documented international operations in at least three countries, assessed using validated organisational ambidexterity scales, with qualitative case analysis of six purposively selected firms demonstrating contrasting ambidexterity profiles. Structural equation modelling tests the direct and mediated effects of organisational ambidexterity on international performance, with dynamic capabilities and knowledge management practices as proposed mediating mechanisms. The theoretical framework integrates the organisational ambidexterity theory, the dynamic capabilities view, and the international entrepreneurship literature. The dissertation extends existing ambidexterity theory by developing an African multinational ambidexterity configuration typology that accounts for home country institutional constraints on exploration activity, a theoretically significant but empirically untested boundary condition of conventional ambidexterity models. Original contributions include the configuration typology, an empirically validated scale for measuring ambidexterity in resource-constrained multinational contexts, and identification of environmental turbulence dimensions that most strongly moderate the ambidexterity-performance relationship for African multinationals. Keywords: organisational ambidexterity, Nigerian multinationals, international performance, dynamic capabilities, turbulence