When Technology Meets the Market: How Balancing Capabilities Boost Commercial Success

What is it about?

This study examines how firms can enhance technology commercialization by managing the tension between two vital yet competing strengths: technological and marketing capabilities. Drawing on the ambidexterity perspective, it argues that firms must balance and integrate both to turn innovations into marketable products. Technological capabilities fuel invention and excellence, while marketing capabilities align innovations with customer needs. The key challenge is integrating both without letting one overshadow the other. Using survey data from 262 Chinese manufacturing firms (524 respondents), the study finds that capability ambidexterity—the ability to balance and combine technological and marketing capabilities—significantly improves technology commercialization success. Firms with strong balancing skills align technical and market strengths, while those with strong combining skills use both synergistically to seize opportunities. High-commitment work systems emphasizing employee involvement, training, and empowerment further enhance these effects. These results show that firms cannot rely solely on technological or marketing excellence in isolation. Successful commercialization depends on developing the flexibility to manage and integrate both capabilities simultaneously. Managers should focus on building systems that encourage collaboration between R&D and marketing teams and invest in human resource practices that support this integration. Doing so helps organizations turn technical innovation into sustained market success.

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Photo by TruckRun on Unsplash

Photo by TruckRun on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This research is unique in conceptualizing capability ambidexterity—the joint use of balancing and combining capabilities—as the mechanism that links firms’ technological and marketing strengths to technology commercialization success. It extends the ambidexterity literature by explaining how firms manage capability tensions rather than simply accumulating more of either capability. The study also highlights the enabling role of high-commitment work systems, showing that human resource practices create the social foundation for capability integration. The study is particularly timely as firms face mounting pressure to accelerate innovation while responding to rapidly changing markets. Conducted in China’s manufacturing sector, it provides valuable insights for organizations operating in competitive and technology-driven industries. The findings encourage leaders to build ambidextrous structures and people-centered systems that allow technology and marketing to reinforce rather than constrain each other—ensuring that innovation translates into real commercial impact.