Seeing value in novelty: Manager and employee social networks as keys in managers' idea evaluation and implementation decisions.

Abstract

Employees' novel ideas often do not get recognized or valued by their managers, thus precluding these ideas from benefiting the organization. Drawing on the social-cognitive model of creativity evaluation (Zhou & Woodman, 2003) and integrating it with a social network (N/W) lens, this article investigates how characteristics of the social networks of managers and employees play a role in influencing managers' valuation of and willingness to implement novel employee ideas. In three studies-an experimental study manipulating idea novelty and the functional diversity of idea evaluators' (i.e., managers') network, and two network field studies (with managers evaluating actual product ideas generated by employees)-we document how managers generally disfavor novelty and, therefore, are unwilling to implement novel yet useful ideas. However, we find that managers' advice network diversity and employees' centrality in the advice network among their peers help mitigate this negative effect. Managers are able to better appreciate the value of novel ideas when they have more diverse networks and when idea-proposing employees have high centrality in their peer network. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).