Social Networks for Innovation and New Product Development

Abstract

In this article we first provide a brief introduction into social network analysis, focusing on the measures and approaches that are used in the empirical contributions in this special issue. Second, we discuss the role of social networks in new product development. Social networks are inherently multilevel; we consider four “levels”: networks inside a firm, networks that cross firm boundaries, networks between firms, and networks that reside outside of the firm. Third, we discuss these four levels and highlight some of the extant research. We summarize and position the eight papers in this special issue along these four levels. Together, we argue, these papers provide an interesting coverage of this burgeoning field.

Innovative work behaviour in the public sector: The roles of task characteristics, social support, and proactivity

“…A study by De Jong and Den Hartog (2010) also confirmed that external work contacts are positively related to IWB. Leenders and Dolfsma (2016) highlighted that social networks inside a firm, between firms, and outside of the firm facilitate innovation, enabling employees to gather resources and learn about new ideas and perspectives, which may facilitate IWB. We also posit that task characteristics will have a stronger positive association with an individual's IWB when there is social support.…”

Under the Wide Umbrella of Open Innovation

“…This will likely involve coupling secondary data with surveys or experiments. While innovation researchers have begun to examine the influence of innovators’ social networks (see the recent JPIM special issue: Leenders and Dolfsma, ), leveraging webscraped social media data will allow for evolving network patterns to be better understood.…”

Retracted: Firm Adaptation, Preadaptation, and Sequential Ambidexterity in Firm Boundaries During an Era of Ferment and an Era of Incremental Change

“…The basic knowledge derived from in‐house development during the era of ferment allows firms to develop these social relations. Structurally embedded firms are able to use component suppliers and consultants as brokers to access spill‐over knowledge from competitors and firms from other industries with whom they are not directly connected (Granovetter, ; Leenders and Dolfsma, ). The structural embeddedness with suppliers also allows firms to benefit from their diverse experience (Weigelt and Sarkar, ), which is particularly useful in overcoming various learning‐by‐doing hurdles in integrating the external components (Attewell, ).…”