Mediating effects of employees' eudaimonic and hedonic well-being between distributed leadership and ambidextrous innovation: does employees' age matter?

Purpose Drawing upon the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, this research examines the contribution of distributed leadership (DL) to ambidextrous innovation and the mediating roles of employees' eudaimonic well-being (EWB) and hedonic well-being (HWB) in this link. It also investigates the moderating effect of employees' age in the relationship between DL and EWB and HWB. Design/methodology/approach The author formulated a series of hypotheses that we tested based on a survey of 329 middle managers working in Tunisian ICT firms and through the partial least square-structural equation modelling method. Findings This research provides empirical evidence of the mediating effects of EWB and HWB between DL and ambidextrous innovation. The multi-group analysis performed shows that employees' age moderates the links between DL and EWB and HWB. These relationships are significant and positive for Generation X and Generation Y and not for Baby-Boomers. Originality/value Despite the importance of the DL style, this variable has been studied mainly within educational institutions. This research pioneers the investigation of the mediating effect of HWB and EWB between DL and ambidextrous innovation in the business context. A major implication is that, through a DL style, managers can nurture the well-being of employees of different ages and promote ambidextrous innovation.