Draw to a close: inventor triad dynamics and invention quality

Instead of comparing open and closed triads as static phenomena, this study examines how closure dynamics among inventors impact the extent to which inventors generate high-quality inventions at the triad level. Combining literature on small group synergy, social networks, and recombinant innovation, we propose that initial open triads of collaborating inventors that turn into a closed triad generate higher quality inventions than triads that maintain open. We also examine how the connectedness of the triad moderates the relationship between triad closure and the generation of triadic high-quality inventions. Using a matched sample of open and closed triads from 1987 to 2008, we find that over time, open triads that turn into closed ones generate higher-quality inventions than triads that remain open. Moreover, the triad’s degree of connectedness weakens the triadic closure’s positive impact on inventive performance. We discuss the implications for the study of innovation, network triads, and collective synergy.