How do inventors overcome the relational inertia after inter‐firm mobility?

Abstract

This study aims to explore strategies for overcoming relational inertia and enhancing their creativity after inter‐firm mobility of inventors. The research sample comprises 591 mobile inventors identified using a patent data‐based model from Chinese communication technology companies. Employing the framework of dynamic network analysis, this study examines the impact of network closure at different time on overcoming relational inertia and investigates the influence of knowledge structure. The findings suggest that a lower level of past and current network closure is more conducive to knowledge sharing and technological innovation after inter‐firm mobility of inventors. Furthermore, mobile inventors with broad and in‐depth knowledge structures demonstrate significantly improved knowledge sharing and technological innovation, effectively mitigating relational inertia. These conclusions offer a systematic research perspective and comprehensive theoretical guidance, emphasizing the importance of optimizing network resources and knowledge structures to help inventors overcome relational inertia after inter‐firm mobility.