Cultural Brokers in Organizational Networks: The Double-Embeddedness Advantage

Choi, Ingram, and Han (2023) find that individuals who are both highly embedded in core cultural values and span diverse cultural domains (high breadth) are especially creative. Yet, organizational network research rarely examines how this “double-embeddedness” at the individual level shapes network dynamics, such as cross-silo collaboration or innovation diffusion. This project would map the positions and influence of such cultural brokers within organizations and test whether their presence predicts the emergence of cross-cutting ties, novel collaborations, or adaptive change, integrating psychological and sociological theories (see also Li & Li 2024 on returnee innovation). This could lead to new HR strategies for identifying and empowering cultural brokers as key drivers of organizational agility and innovation.

References:

1. Research on the Impact of Social Network Embeddedness on Returnee Innovative Behavior. Jingzhi Li, Yongzhou Li (2024). Sustainability.
2. Research on the Impact of Social Network Embeddedness on Returnee Innovative Behavior. Jingzhi Li, Yongzhou Li (2024). Sustainability.
3. Cultural Breadth and Embeddedness: The Individual Adoption of Organizational Culture as a Determinant of Creativity. Y. Choi, P. Ingram, S. Han (2023). Administrative Science Quarterly.