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The Impact of Social Capital on Ideation

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  • Jennie Björk
  • Fausto Di Vincenzo
  • Mats Magnusson
  • Daniele Mascia

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of social capital on the quality of ideas generated by individuals at work. Two dimensions of social capital are investigated—the degree (i.e. size) of individuals' networks of ideation relations, and the structural holes (i.e. gaps between nodes) of those relations. Previous research has presented different and even conflicting empirical results concerning the effect of structural holes on innovation activities, and has not dealt specifically with the ideation phase of the innovation process. By drawing upon an idea database from a Swedish company that has worked systematically with idea management for an extensive period, this study investigates the interrelationship between social capital and ideation. The empirical study reveals that the larger the size of an individual's ego network, the higher is this individual's innovative performance in terms of high-quality ideas, whereas the larger the number of structural holes in an ego network, the lower is the quality of ideas generated by the individual in question. These findings support the conclusion that social capital, in terms of individuals' relationships with fellow employees within firms, has a positive influence on idea-generating behavior. Moreover, the results reveal that the presence of structural holes is negative for ideation performance, thus providing important new input to the recent debate on the interrelationship between structural holes and innovation in general.

Suggested Citation

  • Jennie Björk & Fausto Di Vincenzo & Mats Magnusson & Daniele Mascia, 2011. "The Impact of Social Capital on Ideation," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(6), pages 631-647, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:indinn:v:18:y:2011:i:6:p:631-647
    DOI: 10.1080/13662716.2011.591976
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    Cited by:

    1. Zimmerling, Eric & Höllig, Christoph E. & Sandner, Philipp G. & Welpe, Isabell M., 2019. "Exploring the influence of common game elements on ideation output and motivation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 302-312.
    2. Laurence Saglietto & Cécile Cézanne & Delphine David, 2020. "Research On Structural Holes: An Assessment On Measurement Issues," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(3), pages 572-593, July.
    3. Lyndon Murphy & Robert Huggins & Piers Thompson, 2016. "Social capital and innovation: A comparative analysis of regional policies," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 34(6), pages 1025-1057, September.
    4. Chris C. Gernreich & Sebastian Knop, 2019. "Empowering Creative Employees: Phase-Specific Support In The Front-End Of Innovation," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 23(08), pages 1-31, December.
    5. Schweisfurth, Tim G. & Dharmawan, Magha P., 2019. "Does lead userness foster idea implementation and diffusion? A study of internal shopfloor users," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 289-297.

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