Impact of Degree Centrality, Structural Holes, and Network Density of External Corporate Network Ties on Ambidextrous Innovation

Bibliographic Data

ID21571002
AuthorsYouxuan Wang (0009-0006-5707-9487, Faculty of Business City University of Macau Macau China), Zhuohang Li (0000-0001-5559-4094, Faculty of Business City University of Macau Macau China, corresponding author), Yitian Lu (Faculty of Business City University of Macau Macau China), Yingjun Lu (0000-0002-0997-2178, City University of Macau)
Year2026
Volume43
Issue1
Publication date2026-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCanadian Journal of Administrative Sciences / Revue Canadienne des Sciences de l Administration (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0825-0383 • E-ISSN: 1936-4490
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/cjas.70027
OpenAlexW4415062433
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited201

In the complex and ever‐changing environment of the information age, companies face dual challenges of limited resources and the need for continuous innovation. However, the question of how to effectively leverage external resources to balance ambidextrous innovation remains underexplored in the existing literature. This paper addresses this gap by examining the role of social network characteristics, specifically degree centrality, structural holes (SH), and network density, in facilitating ambidextrous innovation. It further investigates how internal control (IC) quality and CEO duality moderate these relationships. The findings indicate that: (1) degree centrality and SH have a positive effect on ambidextrous innovation, whereas network density exerts a negative effect; (2) CEO duality weakens the relationship between corporate social networks (CSNs) and exploratory innovation (EI); (3) IC positively moderates the relationship between degree centrality and ambidextrous innovation, between SH and exploitative innovation (DI), and also strengthens the negative relationship between network density and EI. By comprehensively evaluating the influence of various CSN characteristics on ambidextrous innovation, this study broadens the scope of social network research. These findings help companies optimize their social network structure, enhance their IC systems, and refine their corporate governance, which enables them to benefit from knowledge sharing and enhance their ambidextrous innovation capabilities

Ambidexterity · Centrality · Social capital · Structural holes · Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences · Innovation and Knowledge Management · Innovation Diffusion and Forecasting

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