Network Structure, Collaborative Context, and Individual Creativity

Network research has yet to determine whether bonding ties or bridging ties are more beneficial for individual creativity, but the debate has mostly overlooked the organizational context in which such ties are formed. In particular, the causal chain connecting network structures and individual outcomes often assumes that different network structures embody specific individual behaviors. This paper challenges the widespread assumption that dense, heavily bonded network structures imply a collaborative attitude on the part of network actors. We propose that collaboration can also be contextual and exogenous to a network’s structural characteristics, such that it moderates the effects of both dense and brokered networks on individual creativity. Specifically, we argue that knowledge acquisition and, in turn, individual creativity are more likely when an individual’s network position has a good fit with the network’s organizational context. Thus, actors in dense network structures acquire more knowledge and eventually become more creative in organizational contexts where collaboration is high. Conversely, brokers who arbitrage information across disconnected network contacts acquire more valuable knowledge, and thereby achieve higher creativity, in organizational contexts where collaboration is low.