The purpose of this study is to extend existing theory of organizational learning and develop a theoretical model that explores the role of exploratory learning, exploitative learning, and organizational learning capability (OLC) on individual employee performance in the higher education environment. The results of PLS-SEM analysis of data collected from 181 academics of a top public university in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam demonstrate that exploratory and exploitative learning are the key drivers of employee performance. Moreover, the findings shed light on the conditions that facilitate the contribution of exploratory and exploitative learning on employee performance. While balancing exploratory learning and exploitative learning in ambidextrous organizations creates synergy and fosters employee performance, the realization of this synergy requires the presence of OLC. The study also provides practical implications to assist higher education providers in public sector in understanding how learning mechanisms and OLC can work together towards enhancing academics’ performance.