Ambidexterity in government: The influence of different types of legitimacy on innovation

Using a comparative case study of four independent infrastructure agencies in Australia, this article explores how governments can use structural ambidexterity to innovate. Independent agencies can serve as exploration units, but their innovation needs to be integrated into the rest of government. Instead of relying on an executive team to do it, independent agencies can take on this role, but they need to become legitimate to several government...