Overcoming institutional voids as a pathway to becoming ambidextrous: The case of China’s Sichuan Telecom

The paper examines how firms develop supply chain financing model to help overcome institutional voids

(IVs) and become ambidextrous. This study presents a case analysis of a novel supply chain financing

model instigated and implemented by China’s Sichuan Telecom (ST) to help supply chain partners

overcome IVs in their environments. We identified three unique stages in the evolution of the supply chain

ambidextrous financing model: drivers for change (including identifying suppliers’ problems and

constraints), designing and implementing the supply chain ambidextrous financing model, and the tripartite

performance effects. The analysis demonstrated how ST utilized its market power, resources and network

ties to harness expertise and competences of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to overcome IVs

and become ambidextrous. Sichuan Telecom aided the SMEs in solving the financing problem through

order-based supply chain financing. Based on the analysis, we outline implications of this case for theory

and policy.