Is it about who you know or what you are? A social network perspective on intrapreneurship

To understand individual outcomes such as performance or creativity, managers traditionally look at the individual attributes of employees. A well-established body of research, however, shows that their workplace relationships play an equally important role. In this lecture, we will discuss the foundations of social network analysis and explore its application in strategic entrepreneurship research. We will focus primarily on how the structure of workplace social networks enable or constrain intrapreneurship.

This lecture is part of the Advanced Topics in Strategic Entrepreneurship course. This doctoral course provides an overview of the latest developments in strategic entrepreneurship research.

Required Readings

• Burt, R. S. 2004. Structural holes and good Ideas. American Journal of Sociology, 110(2): 349–399.
• Rhee, L., & Leonardi, P. M. 2018. Which pathway to good ideas? An attention‐based view of innovation in social networks. Strategic Management Journal, 39: 1188–1215.
• Breet, J.S., Dul, J., Glaser, L., & Jansen, J.J.P. Is High Innovative Performance without Brokerage Possible? A Necessary Condition Analysis. Working Paper.