Social Capital and Opportunity in Corporate R&D: The Contingent Effect of Contact Density on Mobility Expectations

Authors: Gabbay S.M.¹; Zuckerman E.W.²

Source: Social Science Research, Volume 27, Number 2, June 1998 , pp. 189-217(29)

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Abstract:

Our analysis focuses on scientists in corporate research and development (R&D) work units. Building on the rich literature on the importance of brokerage and boundary-spanning for intraorganizational mobility, we investigate how scientists' positions in networks of work relations affect the probability that they expect future mobility. Our results support the claim that, in general, actors with disconnected contacts gain a competitive advantage relative to others who do not enjoy the same degree of access to structural holes. In addition to documenting this basic association between contact density and mobility expectations, we demonstrate that the nature of this association differs considerably depending on the larger context for local patterns of interaction. We investigate three such contextual factors: the degree to which the work unit is oriented toward individual rather than collective incentives; the density of the overall pattern of interaction in the unit; and the extent to which brokerage strategies are legitimate. Findings support the conclusion that the effect of contact density on expectations of promotion is contingent on the character of relevant structures and cultures of opportunity. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Technion, Israel Institute of Technology 2: Graduate School of Business, Stanford University

Publication date: 1998-06-01