Rich Ties and Innovative Knowledge Transfer within a Firm

Abstract

We show that contacts in formal, informal and especially multiplex networks explain transfer of innovative knowledge in an organization. The contribution of informal contacts has been much acknowledged, while that of formal contacts did not receive much attention in the literature in recent decades. No study thus far has included both these different kinds of contacts in a firm, let alone considered their combined effect. The exact overlap between formal as well as informal contacts between individuals, forming multiplex or what we call rich ties because of their contribution, especially drives the transfer of new, innovative knowledge in a firm. Studying two cases in very different settings suggests these rich ties have a particularly strong effect on knowledge transfer in an organization, even when controlling for the strength of ties. Some of the effects on knowledge transfer in an organization previously ascribed to either the formal network or the informal network may actually be due to their combined effect in a rich tie.We would like to thank participants in seminars at

Social Networks for Innovation and New Product Development

“…Multiple networks can usually be defined among the same set of actors, and the extent to which the ties overlap can have an important effect on these actors (cf. Aalbers, Dolfsma, and Koppius, ; Soda and Zaheer, ). For example, team members who share knowledge and consider each other friends may be more likely to share knowledge in the future as well, compared with two team members where the friendship is lacking or conflicts may occur.…”

Essential Micro‐foundations for Contemporary Business Operations: Top Management Tangible Competencies, Relationship‐based Business Networks and Environmental Sustainability

“…The general business literature suggests that social networks play an important role in different organizational processes, including innovation and organizational change (e.g. Aalbers, Dolfsma and Koppius, ; Powell, Koput and Smith‐Doerr, ; Swan and Scarbrough, ; Wincent, Thorgren and Anokhin, ), and scholars have noted the enabling role of networks for the transfer of valuable knowledge across firms (e.g. Hansen, ; Schoenherr, Narasimhan and Bandyopadhyay, ; Tortoriello and Krackhardt, ; Tortoriello, Reagans and McEvily, ).…”

The Exploration Phase of Replication Strategies: The Role of Autonomous Action for Reverse Knowledge Flows

“…Yet, the stickiness of such knowledge flows, for instance due to diverging objectives of HQ and unit managers, as well as the unit level activities required to overcome knowledge stickiness have remained unexplored. By focusing on situations where formal processes for RKFs break down we complement existing research by demonstrating that RKFs emerge informally (Aalbers, Dolfsma and Koppius, ) and are a highly negotiated political process. Our analysis provides new insights into the types of autonomous actions through which this is achieved: the autonomous development of local capability (probing), the formation of coalitions (coalescing), the careful framing of superior solutions, as well as the formation of resource agreements.…”

“…Such exploration requires knowledge to be transferred from the unit level to headquarters (HQ), a process referred to as reverse knowledge flows (RKFs) (Ambos, Ambos and Schlegelmilch, 2006;Jonsson and Foss, 2011;Mudambi, Piscitello and Rabbiosi, 2014). While 'knowledge transfer' has received substantial research attention (Aalbers, Dolfsma and Koppius, 2014;Argote and Ingram, 2000), research on RKFs is still in its infancy. This applies to research on RKFs in multinational enterprises more generally (Ambos, Ambos and Schlegelmilch, 2006;Håkanson and Nobel, 2000;Mudambi, Piscitello and Rabbiosi, 2014) but also within replicator organizations more specifically (Jonsson and Foss, 2011).…”