Speed Matters: A Dynamic Network Perspective on Innovation and the Influence of Cognitive Style
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2025-07-09
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en
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Innovation is becoming more expected of individuals in rapidly changing work environments. Building work relationships is one method used to gain new knowledge and perspectives. Prior research has mostly focused on the structural aspects of networks. This study examines how individuals’ networking speed, the rate at which they establish and dissolve work relationships, influences their individual innovation, and how cognitive style moderates this relationship. This research investigates whether faster tie formation results in more innovative behaviour and for whom this is particularly advantageous, drawing on research from dynamic networks and cognitive theory.
Data from a survey was collected within NTS-Group, a Dutch high-tech manufacturing company (N=68). Individual innovation and networking speed are positively associated, revealed by hierarchical regression analysis. Interestingly, only individuals with an adaptive cognitive style were found to have this relation, not individuals with an innovative cognitive style. This suggests that adaptors may be more effective at using dynamic networking settings to process and apply new information in structured and useful ways.
By emphasizing the significance of networking speed and individual cognitive differences in shaping innovative behaviour, the findings add to the existing body of literature. The study has useful implications for tailoring innovation strategies and networking initiatives to different cognitive styles.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen