Heard It through the Grapevine: Indirect Networks and Employee Creativity

dc.contributor.authorHirst, Giles
dc.contributor.authorKnippenberg, Daan van
dc.contributor.authorZhou, Jing
dc.contributor.authorQuintane, Eric
dc.contributor.authorZhu, Cherrie
dc.date.accessioned2015-12-07T22:20:34Z
dc.date.issued2015
dc.date.updated2015-12-07T08:47:45Z
dc.description.abstractSocial networks can be important sources of information and insights that may spark employee creativity. The cross-fertilization of ideas depends not just on access to information and insights through one’s direct network—the people one actually interacts with—but at least as much on access to the indirect network one’s direct ties connect one to (i.e., people one does not interact with directly, but with whom one’s direct ties interact). We propose that the reach efficiency of this indirect network—its nonredundancy in terms of interconnections—is positively related to individual creativity. To help specify the boundaries of this positive influence of the indirect network, we also explore how many steps removed the indirect network still adds to creativity. In addition, we propose that the efficiency (nonredundancy) of one’s direct network is important here, because more efficient direct networks give one access to indirect networks with greater reach efficiency. Our hypotheses were supported in a multilevel analysis of multisource survey data from 223 sales representatives nested within 11 divisions of a Chinese pharmaceutical company. This analysis also showed that the creative benefits of reach efficiency were evident for 3 and 4 degrees of separation but were greatest for indirect ties that depend only on one’s direct ties.
dc.identifier.issn0269-994X
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/19654
dc.publisherBlackwell Publishing Inc.
dc.sourceApplied Psychology
dc.titleHeard It through the Grapevine: Indirect Networks and Employee Creativity
dc.typeJournal article
local.bibliographicCitation.issue2
local.bibliographicCitation.lastpage574
local.bibliographicCitation.startpage567
local.contributor.affiliationHirst, Giles, College of Business and Economics, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationKnippenberg, Daan van, Erasmus University
local.contributor.affiliationZhou, Jing , Rice University
local.contributor.affiliationQuintane, Eric, The Univeristy of Los Andres
local.contributor.affiliationZhu, Cherrie, Monash Univeristy
local.contributor.authoremailu1004769@anu.edu.au
local.contributor.authoruidHirst, Giles, u1004769
local.description.embargo2037-12-31
local.description.notesImported from ARIES
local.identifier.absfor150311 - Organisational Behaviour
local.identifier.absseo970115 - Expanding Knowledge in Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services
local.identifier.ariespublicationu4119614xPUB9
local.identifier.citationvolume100
local.identifier.uidSubmittedByu4119614
local.type.statusPublished Version

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