Abstract:  It is not surprising that some famous companies may fail. Today's success may turn to be tomorrow’s failure. Therefore, companies should not only be good at learning from experience, but also focus on the future plans. A model of organizational ambidexterity based on Top Management Team (TMT)’s cognition is expected to help companies to balance these two demands. TMT’s cognition on organizational character reflects team members¢ general ideas about the past, present and future of their organization. The impact of TMT’s cognitive congruence/differences in organizational character on organizational ambidexterity, as well as the mediating role of TMT behavioral integration is examined. In addition, the relationship between organizational ambidexterity and organizational performance, as well as the moderating role of industry dynamics is explored. The results may deepen our understanding of TMT cognition and enrich the organizational ambidexterity theory. Finally, the improved Organizational Character Index (OCI) provides reliable tool and method for future research.

Key words: TMT cognition, organizational character, behavioral integration, organizational ambidexterity, organizational performance