Cultural Production, Creativity, and Networks

Abstract

Sociologists and organizational scholars interested in the social aspects of creative industries have paid increasing attention to the structural conditions that facilitate the generation and production of creative work, particularly in the cultural markets. Drawing upon but extending seminal ideas from Coleman (1988) and Granovetter (1973), literature has bred substantial development in the field both in theory (Perry-Smith and Shalley, 2003; Schilling, 2005) and empirics (Burt, 2004; Uzzi and Spiro, 2005; Perry-Smith, 2006; Cattani and Ferriani, 2008). These studies investigate structural and relational antecedents for creativity in an effort to explore which configuration of actors’ social networks is likely to foster the emergence of novel outcomes. One consistent finding across various studies in the field is that social networks serve as an interface through which individuals may tap novelty for the creative production of culture. Our aim in this symposium is to introduce the most up-to-date research that cuts across social networks and creativity. Concretely, we intend to address a long-lasting but still ongoing debate such as how and why individual actors’ structural position in the social field shapes not only their ability to generate creative work but also whether this work conforms to or departs from a field’s established norms and standards—thus affecting its reception by relevant social audiences. Social networks could be the main driver in the persistent inequalities in who gets to create and present their work in cultural markets. The nature of creators’ networks based on their past activity can enable or constrain their future career path. This symposium will bring together scholars drawing on research in organizational behavior, strategic management, and organizational theory to make progress on this overarching topic area. Exploration and Exploitation in Cultural Tastes from a Core/Periphery Perspective Presenter: Khwan Kim; INSEAD Presenter: Noah Askin; INSEAD Presenter: Martin Gargiulo; INSEAD Differentiation & Social Structure: A Machine Vision Approach to Dynamics of Creativity Presenter: Mitali Banerjee; HEC Paris Presenter: Daniel Kaplan; Adelphi U. Presenter: Shreeansh Agrawal; The Brattle Group Old Wine in New Bottles? How Awards Affect the Originality of Broadway Shows Presenter: Xuege (Cathy) Lu; Cornell U./U. of Minnesota Presenter: Heeyon Kim; Cornell U. How Social Movements Influence Hiring via Networks: Evidence from the Film Industry Presenter: Daphné Baldassari; U. of Toronto