In this paper, we argue that an innovation’s influence is shaped by the social structures that it is embedded within; specifically, the categories that are used to organize items in a given domain. …Read More
This study explores the link between status and innovation. While extant studies have tended to treat status as uni-dimensional and static, evidence suggests that it may be multifaceted and dynamic. Taking individual inventors as the primary level of analysis, the project decomposes status into different associative (e.g. where the inventor was trained) and achieved dimensions (e.g. her professional standing in the field).…Read More
Studies have shown that actors who affiliate with multiple categories generally do so at their own peril. Still, category spanning is routinely observed, although it is less understood. We address this gap by a longitudinal study of category spanning among nanotube technology inventors. …Read More
The value of a patent traditionally depends on the number of citations it receives from subsequent innovations. But new research from Wharton management professor Tyler Wry and doctoral student Adam Castor calls into doubt whether citation numbers accurately reflect a patent’s true value.…Read More
This study develops and tests a set of novel theoretical predictions about the conditions under which category spanning is rewarded by external audiences. To do this, we revisit the assumption that comprehensible organizational identities are associated with individual categories.…Read More
