Organizational Ambidexterity and the Elusive Quest for Successful Implementation of BoP Ventures

Successful cases of base of the pyramid (BoP) ventures in large corporations remain hard to find. The BoP literature has identified external and (to a lesser extent) internal barriers to implementation. However, this literature has treated barriers as isolated and discrete elements, overlooking the fact that most often those are integrated as part of the organization’s business model. In fact, the challenge of implementing a BoP venture within the umbrella of a large corporation can be framed as a challenge to achieve organizational ambidexterity. We apply that frame to the study of a critical incident, a “most likely” case where 12 large corporations received every incentive to implement BoP ventures, yet only 3 survived. We looked at both failures and success cases, and extract lessons from them. Our findings go against the grain of some prescriptions of mainstream BoP literature and the practice of funding agencies. We finish with recommendations for policy.