Getting the Right Balance of Convention and Innovation Through Small World Networks

Brian Uzzi (Northwestern) and Jarrett Spiro (Stanford) recently published a study, Collaboration and Creativity: The Small World Problem in the American Journal of Sociology. They begin the article by noting that “creativity aids problem solving, innovation, and aesthetics, yet our understanding of it is still forming. We know that creativity is spurred when diverse ideas are united or when creative material in one domain inspires or forces fresh thinking in another.” In other words when new connections are made.

The authors analyzed the small world network of the creative artists who made Broadway musicals from 1945 to 1989. The Broadway musical networks they examined shows that between teams arise when artists work in more than one musical and create dense overlapping clusters that are prototypical of a small world network.

Any successful production is likely to be a combination of convention and innovation. Innovation comes from material that extends conventions by showing these conventions in a new form or mode of presentation. Just as conventions are learned and gather strength within networks of personal contact and repeated public performance, innovative extensions often emerge when artists are exposed to other conventions besides the ones they have been using, thus inspiring or forcing creativity.

However, they found limits to this effect. Too much internal connectivity reduces some of the creative distinctiveness of clusters, which can homogenize the pool of creative material. At the same time, problems of excessive cohesion can creep in. In this case, the ideas most likely to be implemented can be too conventional rather than fresh ideas because of the common information effect and because newcomers find it harder to land “slots” on productions.

I think in the same way innovation within the enterprise occurs when there is a balance between established team connections and the introduction of new connections. A tool like Connectbeam that combines social networking around ideas helps to bring new connections to keep stirring the innovation pot within the organization. At the same time it can support the work of established teams and help with cohesion. It was interesting to see this concept appear in an academic study. Thanks to Bill Ives and Valdis Krebs for pointing out this study.