Not all brokers are alike

Creative implications of brokering networks in different work functions

Bibliographic Data

ID9890342
AuthorsDiego Stea (0000-0003-0289-4151, Copenhagen Business School, corresponding author), Torben Pedersen (0000-0001-7541-9365, Bocconi University, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume70
Issue6
Pages668-693
Publication date2017-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHuman Relations (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0018-7267 • E-ISSN: 1741-282X
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0018726716672921
OpenAlexW2554579155
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited95

Brokers are expected to be more creative than employees embedded in closed social structures because they occupy a position in the social space that provides them with access to non-redundant knowledge. However, the extant research provides partly inconsistent findings on the creative implications of brokerage, which raises important questions about when and how brokering between otherwise disconnected colleagues leads to individual creativity. We advance the relational perspective on individual creativity by adopting a contingency view, and showing that a curvilinear (inverted U-shape) specification of the relationship between brokerage and creativity applies particularly when brokers work in research and development, as they are more likely to intensively exploit their structural opportunities. In addition, we show that brokers who work in research and development are more sensitive to work environments that protect their cognitive resources, such that they exhibit greater creativity when the work environment is free from environmental stressors, such as noise and disturbances. Thus, environmental stressors are particularly harmful for those employees who are most likely to exploit the opportunity to broker across otherwise disconnected colleagues

Business · Contingency · Creativity · Epistemology · Exploit · Extant taxon · Knowledge management · Perspective (graphical · Political science · Public relations · Sociology · Stressor · Work (physics · Computer Science · Creativity in Education and Neuroscience · Innovation and Knowledge Management · Psychology · Social Psychology · Team Dynamics and Performance