City Research Online

Abstract

The paper advances a relational perspective to studying creativity at the individual level. Building on social network theory and techniques, we examine the role of social networks in shaping individuals’ ability to generate a creative outcome. More specifically, we argue that individuals who occupy an intermediate position between the core and the periphery of their social system are in a favorable position to achieve creative results. In addition, the benefits accrued through an individual’s intermediate core/periphery position can also be observed at the team level, when the same individual works in a team whose members come from both ends of the core/periphery continuum. We situate the analysis and test our hypotheses within the context of the Hollywood motion picture industry, which we trace over the period 1992–2003. The theoretical implications of the results are discussed.

Publication Type:	Article
Publisher Keywords:	creative performance; social networks; core/periphery; film industry
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1993 Motion Pictures
Departments:	Bayes Business School > Management
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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