La heterogeneidad de la fuerza laboral como determinante de la innovación organizativa

Abstract

This research addresses the relationship between human resource diversity in the Research and Development (R&D) department and a company's ability to generate organisational innovations. The study places special emphasis on the educational and functional diversity of employees, with a particular focus on the impact of gender diversity within these teams. This analysis is based on data obtained from the Technological Innovations Panel (PITEC) and employs generalized linear models to assess how diversity influences the adoption of organisational innovations, taking into account overdispersion that could affect the accuracy of error estimates. Thus, from this research, four main findings can be extracted. Firstly, diversity in the R&D department promotes the development of organisational innovations in companies. However, it is also found that the influence of diversity varies depending on the type of organisational innovation. Thirdly, the results show that gender plays a significant role, highlighting that women have a distinct impact on the generation of organisational innovations. Finally, it is revealed that the effect of gender diversity on organisational innovation differs depending on the economic sector in which the company operates (industrial or services). In conclusion, the thesis provides important insights into how human resource diversity and gender composition within R&D departments influence the propensity for organisational innovation within companies. It underscores the need for special consideration of the industry sector when promoting women's participation in R&D activities.