Managing exploration and exploitation to enhance innovation performance
The role of board gender diversity
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12920787 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Xiaokai Li (0000-0002-0986-6682, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power), Liu Qing (0000-0002-7551-2612, Department of Commerce, corresponding author), Lingli Qing (Guangzhou College of Commerce School of Accounting, , Guangzhou), Haohao Wei (0000-0001-9761-3265, Henan University), Juntao Wei (0000-0001-5744-6749, Luohe Medical College) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 1-20 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-23 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Gender in Management An International Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1754-2413 • E-ISSN: 1754-2421 |
| Publisher | Emerald Publishing Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1108/gm-06-2025-0391 |
| OpenAlex | W7140138182 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 62 |
Purpose Exploration and exploitation pull firms in different directions, creating ongoing tension. This study aims to examine how board gender diversity (BGD) helps manage this tension by shaping top management’s attention along the exploration–exploitation continuum. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the attention-based view (ABV), the authors analyse panel data on 254 China-listed advanced manufacturers (2009–2020). Innovation performance (IP) is measured with patent-based indicators. Relative exploration (RE) operationalises balanced ambidexterity on a single continuum (higher RE = greater emphasis on exploration; lower RE = greater emphasis on exploitation). The authors model the link between a firm’s RE and IP and test how BGD moderates this link. Findings IP exhibits an inverted U-shaped relationship with RE, indicating an IP-maximising balance between exploration and exploitation. BGD shifts this balance towards exploration, with a stronger rightward shift at critical mass (women ≥ 30% of board seats) than under token representation (≥1 woman director). Originality/value By showing how BGD reallocates strategic attention along the exploration–exploitation continuum, the study extends ABV within a corporate-governance lens. Increasing female board representation thus offers a clear governance mechanism for firms seeking to strengthen long-term innovation through strategic diversity
Ambidexterity · Balance (ability · Corporate governance · Diversity (politics · Gender balance · Gender diversity · Representation (politics · Corporate Finance and Governance · Family Business Performance and Succession · Gender Diversity and Inequality
The myopia of learning
Exploration and Exploitation Within and Across Organizations
With or Without U? The Appropriate Test for a U-Shaped Relationship
The Interplay Between Exploration and Exploitation
Attention to Attention
Organizational Ambidexterity
Entrepreneurship in the large corporation
Recombinant Uncertainty in Technological Search
Managing Strategic Contradictions
Unpacking Organizational Ambidexterity
Thinking about U
Exploitative and exploratory innovations in knowledge network and collaboration network
Exploration and Exploitation in Organizational Learning
The XX factor
Informal competition and firm level innovation in South Asia
The Impact of Board Diversity and Gender Composition on Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Reputation
Does state ownership really matter for capital structure in selected G-20 economies
The importance of a critical mass of women on boards to reduce the gender pay disparity among non-executive directors
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |