The social underpinnings of absorptive capacity: The moderating effects of structural holes on innovation generation based on external knowledge
基于一家大型跨国高科技公司276名研发人员的社交网络数据，研究发现个体在内部知识分享网络中的结构洞位置会调节外部知识对创新产出的正向影响。
Building on absorptive capacity and social network research, in this paper I investigate how individuals inside the organization use external knowledge to generate innovations. Through original sociometric data collected from 276 scientists, researchers, and engineers from the R esearch and D evelopment division of a large multinational high‐tech company, I show that the effects of external knowledge on individuals' innovativeness are contingent upon individuals' position in the internal social structure. In particular, results indicate that the positive effects of external knowledge on innovation generation become more positive when individuals sourcing external knowledge span structural holes in the internal knowledge‐sharing network . Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.