Network Resource Munificence, Geographical Dispersion and Inventor Performance

Abstract

This paper explores the variation of knowledge resources embedded in the collaboration networks of corporate inventors. Focusing on the semiconductor industry, we examine the impact of intraorganizational network resource munificence ? i.e. the extent to which ego co-inventor networks carry knowledge resources ? on inventor performance. Relying on insights from resource dependence theory and the social network perspective, we hypothesize that ego network resource munificence positively influences the innovative performance of inventors above and beyond network structural explanations. Yet, we predict that the geographic dispersion of the ego collaboration network negatively moderates this relationship due to the increased coordination costs of knowledge transfer. We find support for our predictions using a sample of 49,550 inventors employed by 236 companies in the global semiconductor industry over the period 1983 to 2003. Our empirical evidence points to the relevance of a network resource perspective instead of merely considering structural properties, and provide novel insights into how inventors successfully recombine knowledge residing in their ego networks.