The role of HRM in facilitating team ambidexterity

Abstract

Although the role of HRM in supporting ambidexterity has been loosely conceptualised, little is known about how HRM contributes to exploitative and explorative activities in practice. Further, whereas research has linked HRM to innovation broadly at individual and organisational levels, there has been minimal focus on how HRM supports innovation in teams. Using qualitative case studies in two software development firms, we examine how different approaches to HRM support different types of ambidexterity in teams. The findings demonstrate that there is no one best way for HRM to facilitate team ambidexterity, but it is critical to align the HRM practices with the team context. Additionally, our findings suggest that while an integrated HRM system that exploits synergies between HRM practices can encourage ambidexterity for some organisations, an approach aimed at emphasising the independent effects of a few key HRM practices may be an effective alternative for others.