Ambidextrous learning – the ability of organisations to explore and exploit simultaneously – is a fundamental driver for organisational renewal and long-term survival. Yet, ambidexterity as a construct remains unclear, with research to date focusing on what organisations should do in the pursuit of ambidexterity and less so examining the concept itself. Based on the analysis of 564 organisations and their learning strategy outcomes in the past 12 months, we address this gap by proposing a framework that accounts for varying degrees of organisational ambidexterity in practice. We show how this framework allows scholars to extend their analysis of ambidexterity, revisit important questions related to learning mechanisms and outcomes, and explore new challenges in organisational learning.