Sociocognitive Relationships for Innovation under Institutional Constraints

Abstract

This article provides a theoretical framework that explains how organizational actors—persons, teams, and organizations—can attempt to be innovative under institutional constraints and elaborates the sociocognitive mechanisms via which innovation emerges. Recognizing that innovative work is often relationship-driven, this article develops relationship-focused theory by integrating individualistic approaches (where each organizational actor is assumed to be internally self-sufficient) and relational approaches (where innovative work happens through a process of relating among organizational actors). Propositions suggest that contradiction versus consistency between institutionalized task and socialization structures determine the optimal type of sociocognitive relationship, and that institutionalized climate moderates the association between the type of sociocognitive relationship and the performance of innovative outcomes.

How HR managers of incubators can be more effective: consider the relationships among entrepreneurs

“…HR managers can also consider other aspects such as resource management (Bass and Chakrabarty, 2014;Chakrabarty, 2009Chakrabarty, , 2015Chakrabarty and Wang, 2012, 2020Chiaburu et al, 2015;He et al, 2016;Zardkoohi et al, 2011) and stakeholder management (Chakrabarty, 2020b(Chakrabarty, , 2020cChakrabarty and Bass, 2013, 2014a, 2014b, 2015Chakrabarty and Whitten, 2011;Chakrabarty et al, 2008;Green et al, 2007;Whitten et al, 2010). In conclusion, the application of RFT (Chakrabarty, 2020a) can offer a holistic lens for understanding entrepreneurial action within incubators.…”

“…Relationship-focused theory (RFT) adapts and combines two epistemological perspectives into a continuum, which ranges from entitative epistemology (wherein each entrepreneur is presumed to be autonomous) to relational epistemology (wherein entrepreneurship ensues through a practice of connecting among entrepreneurs) (Chakrabarty, 2020a). RFT can be used to understand how incubator settings can influence the evolution of relationships along the entitativeÀrelational epistemological continuum, which in turn can predict the nature of entrepreneurial outcomes.…”

“…Based on RFT (Chakrabarty, 2020a), the following would be the four forms of relationships for entrepreneurial work in an incubator: Synergizing relationship: allows entrepreneurial action in an incubator via a robust practice of connecting and combining among entrepreneursinvolving the combining of efforts of both entrepreneurs through relational cognition (relational knowledge, relational motivation and relational sensemaking).…”

“…Figure 1 illustrates RFT (Chakrabarty, 2020a) in terms of how the four forms of relationships vary in relational cognition and relational affect and how the relationships can transform over time.…”

“…Incubator climate refers to the overall situation within an incubator. According to RFT (Chakrabarty, 2020a), a negative climate can weaken the usefulness of relationships. A negative incubator climate would be more detrimental to a relationship between entrepreneurs that relies on more cognitive interactions rather than less cognitive interactions between the entrepreneurs.…”