Innovation
January 23, 2026
The urgency of corporate ambidexterity in the 5.0 world
Innovation and execution need to stop being antagonists to become complementary
The debate on innovation usually follows a predictable path in Brazil: we talk about digital transformation, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, and disruptive business models. However, the novelty is not only in the technologies themselves, but also in the
way they connect with people, society, and the purpose of organizations, as pointed out by the report What’s Next – Direção 2035, created by Inova Consulting, Brazil’s first 100% business consultancy dedicated to innovation management, strategic planning, and digital transformation.
We are definitively entering World 5.0, an era that goes beyond the logic of efficiency and productivity to integrate technology, sustainability, collaboration, and well-being as inseparable dimensions of strategy. In this context, the gap between companies that adapt and those that remain stuck in outdated mental models is growing.
The “MIT Sloan Review Brasil” reinforces that, to thrive in highly complex scenarios, organizations need to develop corporate ambidexterity, that is, the ability to simultaneously balance operational efficiency and continuous innovation. In Brazil, this means abandoning the binary thinking that separates “keeping the business afloat” from “exploring the future”.
The challenge, however, is not just technical. It is structural, cultural, and strategic. Brazil experiences a paradoxical combination of, on the one hand, a highly connected, creative society eager for solutions, and on the other, companies that still operate under rigid structures, little decision-making autonomy, and risk aversion.
The Direção 2035 report makes it clear that the next decade will be marked by a set of simultaneous vectors: hyperconnectivity, energy transition, new work models, environmental pressure, artificial intelligence integrated into daily life, and growing expectation for social impact. This convergence reinforces that the future will not be defined solely by those who master technology, but also by those who can integrate technology with human purpose.
Breaking point
It is precisely at this point that corporate ambidexterity ceases to be a theoretical concept and becomes a true point of strategic rupture. Ambidexterity means the ability of an organization to operate simultaneously in two distinct and complementary logics: the maximization of the current business oriented by efficiency, productivity, governance, and predictability, and the exploration of the future, based on experimentation, continuous learning, and the development of new solutions. Companies that manage to sustain this balance tend to exhibit greater resilience, superior performance, and greater organizational longevity.
In the Brazilian context, however, this challenge proves to be even more complex. The study Corporate Ambidexterity: X-ray of the Brazilian Reality, conducted by the Inova Ecosystem over 10 months, with more than 40 in-depth interviews with C-level executives and 250 respondents in a quantitative survey, highlights a structural disconnection between the present and the future in organizations operating in the country. Although 72.8% of executives claim to have heard of corporate ambidexterity, the average degree of familiarity with the concept is low (2.9 on a scale of 1 to 5), revealing that, in practice, ambidexterity is still poorly understood and even less consistently implemented.
The study indicates that, in most Brazilian companies, innovation initiatives operate in a fragmented manner, isolated from the core business and with low influence on decision-making processes, operational models, and long-term strategies. In contrast, traditional areas remain excessively short-term oriented, reinforced by governance structures, goals, and incentive systems that favor immediate results. This imbalance, recurrently identified in qualitative interviews, is one of the main factors explaining why innovation, in Brazil, often loses strategic impact and turns into discourse, instead of assuming the role of a true driver of organizational longevity.
The 5.0 World demands another logic: innovation and execution need to stop being antagonists and become complementary. As the trends from the Direction 2035 report show, the 5.0 era demands:
- Technology centered on people, not on processes;
- Integrated sustainability, not peripheral;
- Collaboration between sectors, not isolated solutions;
- Continuous learning, replacing rigid structures;
- Fluid organizational models, capable of responding quickly to crises and opportunities.
These pillars are not compatible with risk-averse cultures, organizational silos, or centralizing leaders. The new era professional needs to master skills such as systemic view, creativity, digital literacy, data-driven decision-making, and socio-environmental awareness. More than technical skills, World 5.0 demands mindsets that understand the interdependence between technology, society, and strategy.
In Brazil, this transition is urgent. Studies by institutions such as the World Economic Forum indicate that the country has structural impediments such as bureaucracy, economic instability, low productivity, and a challenging competitive environment, but, nevertheless, it has one of the most vibrant innovation ecosystems in Latin America, strong entrepreneurial capacity, cultural diversity, and major economic sectors with global potential, such as agriculture, energy, industry, and education.
This reality stems from the country’s unequal historical development, in which traditional business models coexist with highly innovative initiatives. Corporate ambidexterity is, therefore, the way to transform this potential into concrete results.
By integrating efficiency with innovation, Brazilian companies can:
- diversify business models;
- reduce vulnerability to crises;
- increase productivity;
- accelerate digitalization;
- respond to new social and environmental demands;
- create lasting competitive advantages;
- strengthen reputation and social impact.
In other words, ambidexterity is not a strategic choice, but a condition of survival. The World 5.0 demands organizations capable of simultaneously dealing with the now and the tomorrow. The future will not be conquered only by those who adopt technology, but by those who can integrate it into a flexible, collaborative, and impact-oriented organizational culture.
Brazil has creativity, talent, and potential. What is missing is speed. Corporate ambidexterity is the mechanism that allows companies to move forward consistently, without sacrificing efficiency or stifling innovation. The choice is in our hands: continue operating with old logics or bravely assume the role that World 5.0 demands.
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Who wrote this column
Rodrigo Thomaz
