Accounting for ambiguities in exploration and exploitation research

This study aims to shed light on a number of ambiguities in the understanding of exploration and exploitation that have caused inconsistency in exploration and exploitation research. In order to offer solutions to the ambiguities, I propose five points to exploration and exploitation in organizational learning. The five points aim to achieve 1) an information-based reconceptualization to extend the scope of exploration and exploitation phenomena; 2) an integrated perspective on the distinction between exploration and exploitation; 3) a multi-domain multilevel taxonomy to specify the locus of exploration and exploitation; 4) a reference-based reoperationalization to advance the understanding of the essence of exploration and
exploitation; and 5) change-based measurements to facilitate future empirical research on exploration and exploitation. The perspectives initiated in this study have significant implications for future multilevel and longitudinal research on exploration and exploitation.