The effect of the social network of the top management team on innovation in cultural and creative industries

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore how the influence of the social network of the members of top management teams affects the firms’ innovation performance through organizational learning in cultural and creative industries in China. Design/methodology/approach Based on cultural and creative industries, this paper focuses on how the social network of members of top management teams affects innovation through organizational learning. Using upper Echelon theory and social capital theory, the paper puts forward the relationship between the top management team’s social network, organizational learning and innovation performance. Findings Drawing on the paradigm of organizational strategy duality (input-process-output), this paper constructs the conceptual model of “relational network – organizational learning − innovative performance” and attempts to reveal the relationship between the network, represented by the senior management network and organizational learning, and the mechanism behind their role in innovation performance. Finally, future research prospects are explored. Research limitations/implications Based on the analysis of the internal mechanism between the top management team network, organizational learning and innovation performance, the influence mechanism framework for the cultural and creative industries’ executive team social network on enterprise innovation is finally obtained, which provides theoretical guidance and a practical operation path for enterprise management innovation. Originality/value This research makes a theoretical contribution to the duality of organizational strategy and provides a practical operation path for enterprises to build a social network, and thereby promote innovation capabilities.