The double-edged sword effects of R&D employees' age diversity on ambidextrous innovation in high-tech firms: a social capital perspective

Purpose Integrating social identity theory and socioemotional selectivity theory, we investigate how age diversity among R&D employees affects ambidextrous innovation in high-tech firms through different types of social capital (i.e. bonding and bridging social capital). Further, we examine inclusive human resource management (IHRM) as a critical contingency between age diversity and social capital. Design/methodology/approach We conducted two independent studies to test our proposed model. A pilot study (N = 194) was designed to test the role of age diversity in predicting bonding and bridging social capital and the moderating effect of IHRM. A main study (N = 328) was conducted using a more expansive sample of high-tech firms through a multi-source, multi-wave design to test the entire model. Hierarchical regression analyses and the bootstrap method were used for hypothesis testing. Findings R&D employees' age diversity hinders exploitative and exploratory innovation through decreased bonding social capital, while fostering exploitative and exploratory innovation through increased bridging social capital. In addition, IHRM attenuates the detrimental impact of age diversity on bonding social capital and reinforces its beneficial effect on bridging social capital. Practical implications High-tech firms should adopt a dialectical approach to the mixed impacts of R&D employees' age diversity on ambidextrous innovation. Moreover, IHRM practices should be implemented to provide equal opportunities for different age groups to flourish. Originality/value This research identifies bonding social capital and bridging social capital as critical mechanisms linking R&D employees' age diversity to ambidextrous innovation and reveals the beneficial role of IHRM between age diversity and social capital.