Dilemma of direct ties: Secondhand ties to gatekeepers and innovation

This study examines how individuals leverage social ties to gatekeepers to advance their knowledge into follow-on innovations within firms. In particular, we introduce the advantages of secondhand ties to gatekeepers, wherein individuals are indirectly connected to gatekeepers through an intermediary. We highlight that direct ties to gatekeepers offer legitimacy at the cost of political constraints, such as perceived favoritism or opportunism, whereas indirect ties mitigate such concerns but offer limited legitimacy due to greater social distance from gatekeepers. We argue that secondhand ties effectively balance these trade-offs. By borrowing legitimacy from the gatekeepers while reducing political constraints, knowledge from individuals with secondhand ties is more likely to be adopted and developed into follow-on innovations. Additionally, we propose that individuals rely more heavily on these social ties when their knowledge inherently lacks legitimacy and thus needs more social endorsements. Drawing on intrafirm networks for co-patenting activities, we explore the impact of social ties between gatekeepers—inventor TMT members—and individual inventors on follow-on innovations. Our study offers insights into why some knowledge gets stuck while other knowledge is successfully adopted and further developed within firms.