Doi: alcance.v25n1(Jan/Abr).p20-37 RESUMO Restaurantes que se expandem por meio de replicação enfrentam dois desafios: a busca por exploration e exploitation. De um lado, exploration está ligada à ideia de criação de novos processos e rotinas de inovação. Por outro, exploitation é a capacidade de aperfeiçoar processos já existentes, ou seja, de padronizar rotinas bemsucedidas. Perseguir simultaneamente essas duas capacidades é possuir uma estratégia ambidestra. Diante desse dilema, existem duas formas de ambidestria: contextual e estrutural. A ambidestria contextual parte da premissa que exploration e exploitation podem ser desempenhadas pelo mesmo indivíduo ou equipe de trabalho. A ambidestria estrutural, por sua vez, consiste na separação formal de estruturas organizacionais dedicadas à exploration/exploitation. Este estudo procura responder de que forma ocorre o gerenciamento de estratégias ambidestras em redes de restaurantes, tendo como ponto de partida o trade-off entre inovação e padronização. Realizou-se uma pesquisa qualitativa, baseada no método de estudo de caso, analisando nove redes de restaurantes do Rio de Janeiro, a partir da percepção de seus gestores estratégicos. Foi possível identificar dois níveis de ambidestria estrutural nas redes: a natural e a deliberada. De forma análoga, o estudo encontrou diferentes graus de engajamento das redes com a estratégia ambidestra na forma contextual: na cúpula da empresa, na unidade dos restaurantes e no nível individual dos funcionários das unidades. ABSTRACTRestaurants that expand through replication face two challenges: the pursuit of exploration and exploitation. On one hand, exploration is linked to the idea of creating new processes and routines i.e. innovation. On the other hand, exploitation is the ability to refine existing processes, i.e. to standardize successful routines. An ambidextrous strategy simultaneously pursues these two capabilities. Companies have two ways to promote ambidexterity. Contextual ambidexterity assumes that the same group can perform both exploration and exploitation. Structural ambidexterity, meanwhile, involves the formal separation of organizational structures dedicated to exploration/exploitation. This study seeks to understand how restaurant chains promote ambidextrous strategies, taking as its point of departure the trade-off between innovation and standardization. A qualitative study was Disponível em: www.univali.br/periodicos ISSN: 1983-716XRevista Alcance -Eletrônica -vol. 25 -n. 1 -Jan./Abr. 2018 21 conducted, based on the case study method, analyzing nine restaurant chains in the city of Rio de Janeiro from the perceptions of their strategic managers. This study was able to identify two levels of structural ambidexterity in restaurant chains: natural and deliberate. Similarly, different degrees of engagement were found with the ambidextrous strategy in contextual form: the company management, the restaurant unit, and at individual level, with the employees of the unit. RESUMENRestaurantes que se expanden por medi...

Supplementary materials Appendixes for the case study, teaching notes with figures and suggested chart plan schema. Learning outcomes Students are expected to learn the use of networks for market growth; types of network connections; and ways to achieve international expansion through networks’ relations. Case overview/synopsis This teaching case describes the internationalization of an emerging country artist, the Brazilian singer Anitta, who seeks to expand her audience in foreign markets, while dealing with maintaining the public in her home country. Complexity academic level Recommended to International Business disciplines in specialization courses. Subject code CSS 5: International Business.