Ambidextrous workforces for managing market turbulence

Purpose – The paper aims at providing evidences about the contributions of ambidextrous workforces as a source of value for dynamic companies and organizations in facing emerging market turbulence. Design/methodology/approach – Trough the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) the paper analyses the data collected via a semi-structured questionnaire on a sample of 1,227 employees from 37 Italian SMEs for investigating the effect of some ambidextrous workforce-related elements, such as study background, previous work experience, work flexibility, and soft capabilities on companies’ economic performances. Findings – The research shows that multidisciplinary human resources’ study background, previous human resources’ work experience, and human resources’ soft capabilities are positively linked to companies’ Return on Sales providing an indirect evidence about the role of ambidextrous workforces in supporting companies for facing emerging market turbulence. Originality/value – The research demonstrates the relevant role of human resources in supporting companies in better align themselves to the emerging social and economic variety