University:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Course:
15.501/516 | Accounting
Academic year:

2023
Views:

434

Pages:

9
Author:

Maggie Arias

Managing the Innovation Process Intra-Organizational Networks Overview • Take-Away • Required Readings • Supplemental Readings • Caveats 2 Take-Away • Innovation can arise through structural holes • Innovation is transferred through informal networks • Innovation can arise through weak ties as well • Innovation often requires change in social structure 3 (Burt, 1992) • “Structural holes – Chapter 1: The social structure of competition” • Network Benefits (information – access, timing, referrals) (control – tertius gardens, entrepreneurial motivation) • Structural Holes (separation between non-redundant contacts) • Competition (players with structural holes have higher rate of return) 4 (Krackhardt & Hanson, 1993) • “Informal networks: The company behind the chart” • Informal Networks vs Formal Networks (naturally-occurring ties vs reporting relationship ties) • Three Types of Networks (advice, trust, communication) • Implementing Change (identify key players using a network map) 5 (Constant, Sproull, & Kiesler, 1996) • “The kindness of strangers: The usefulness of electronic weak ties for technical advice” • Weak Ties (relationships with acquaintances or strangers) • Electronic Communication (can facilitate access to useful technical advice) • Organizational Motivation (important for increasing likelihood of help from a request) 6 (Gargiulo & Benassi, 2000) • “Trapped in your own net? Network cohesion, structural holes, and the adaptation of social capital” • Network Closure vs Structural Holes (cohesive ties vs non-redundant ties) • Tradeoff (safety from cohesiveness vs flexibility from ‘holes’) • Adapting to Change (managers with structural holes had an easier time adjusting) 7 (Rogers, 1995) • “The diffusion of innovations – Chapter 1: Elements of diffusion” • Diffusion (process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system) • Process (innovation – idea, practice, or object perceived as new) (communication – create and share info towards understanding) (time – first awareness, current stage, and rate of adoption) (social system – interrelated units engaged in solving problem) 8 Caveats • What if structural holes aren’t feasible to create? • What if formal networks constrain informal networks? • What if there are no incentives for weak ties? • What if network closure is required for consensus? 9