Background and Objective: In the knowledge-based economy, organizations rely on knowledge to achieve competitive advantage. Big data analytics capability (BDAC) provides valuable insights from complex datasets, while innovation ambidexterity supports the simultaneous pursuit of exploratory and exploitative innovations. This study aims to investigate the impact of BDAC on innovation ambidexterity and competitive advantage in knowledge-based firms, with a particular focus on the mediating role of innovation ambidexterity.
Methodology: This study employed a quantitative, descriptive-correlational research design. Data were collected through a questionnaire administered to a sample of 360 knowledge-based firms located in Tehran Province. A systematic random sampling technique was used based on a sampling frame and calculated sampling interval. Structural equation modeling was applied to analyze the data and test the proposed hypotheses.
Findings: The results revealed that BDAC has a significant positive effect on both innovation ambidexterity and competitive advantage in knowledge-based firms. Innovation ambidexterity also exerts a significant positive influence on competitive advantage. Furthermore, innovation ambidexterity partially mediates the relationship between BDAC and competitive advantage.
Conclusion: BDAC is a key driver of competitive advantage in knowledge-based firms, exerting both direct and indirect effects through the enhancement of innovation ambidexterity. The partial mediating role of innovation ambidexterity suggests that competitive advantage stems from the combined effect of data-driven analytical potential and the innovative exploitation of organizational knowledge. Therefore, managers should integrate investments in big data analytics infrastructures with the simultaneous development of exploratory and exploitative innovations strategies to identify new opportunities, improve products, and strengthen competitive advantage.