Network Structure, Actor Attributes, and Intraorganizational Knowledge Sharing

Abstract

How do the relational and structural characteristics of interpersonal networks affect knowledge sharing within organizations? And how are these effects, in turn, influenced by the personal attributes of the individual network members? To answer these questions, we focus on intraorganizational inventor networks and investigate how tie strength and structural holes influence two major dimensions of knowledge sharing, i.e., knowledge absorption and knowledge transfer. Then we consider the moderating effect of a crucial attribute of inventors, i.e., their status of star inventors. Drawing on patent data from 33 of the largest firms operating in the pharmaceutical industry worldwide during a 34-year time period, we show that both the average tie strength and the proportion of structural holes which characterize inventor networks exert an inverted U-shaped effect on both intraorganizational knowledge absorption and transfer by inventors, and that these four curves become flatten in the case of star inventors, when compared to inventors in general.