This study examines how organizational culture support influences sustainability ambidexterity, focusing on the mediating roles of business model transformation and firm identity coherence, as well as the moderating role of leadership orientation.
Drawing on organizational identity theory, the study uses survey data from 350 firms in Ghana and applies PLS-SEM analysis.
The findings show that supportive organizational cultures significantly enhance firms’ ability to balance exploratory and exploitative sustainability practices. This relationship functions via structural transformation and identity alignment mechanisms. However, leadership orientation weakens the positive influence of culture on sustainability ambidexterity, suggesting that overly directive leadership may constrain adaptive learning.
The findings suggest that managers should foster a supportive and adaptive organizational culture to enhance sustainability ambidexterity while carefully aligning leadership orientation to avoid undermining the positive effects of cultural support.
The study contributes to the sustainability management literature by integrating cultural, strategic and identity perspectives and offers actionable insights for managers seeking to foster sustainable organizational capabilities. This study uniquely demonstrates that sustainability ambidexterity is driven by parallel structural and cognitive mechanisms rather than sequential processes.
