Matthew Semadeni

Value of Strong Ties to Disconnected Others: Examining Knowledge Creation in Biomedicine

Knowledge creation requires the combination and exchange of diverse and overlapping knowledge inputs as individuals interact with exchange partners to create new knowledge. In this study, we examine knowledge creation among university research scientists as a function of their professional (ego) networks---those others with whom they collaborate for the purpose of creating new knowledge. We propose that knowledge creation relies, in part, on two attributes of a researchers professional network structure---average tie strength and ego network density---and we provide insights into how these attributes jointly affect knowledge creation. Our study of over 7,300 scientific publications by 177 research scientists working with more than 14,000 others over an 11-year period provides evidence that the relationship between a research scientists professional network and knowledge creation depends on both ego network density and average tie strength. Our evidence suggests that both attributes affect knowledge creation. Moreover, average tie strength interacts with density to affect knowledge creation such that researchers who maintain mostly strong ties with research collaborators who themselves comprise a sparse network have the highest levels of new knowledge creation.

The Selection of an Interim CEO Boundary Conditions and the Pursuit of Temporary Leadership

More and more boards are tapping interim CEOs to temporarily fill the corner office. Prior research indicates the negative performance implications of this decision; yet, little is known about the rationale behind this decision. Our aim is to fill this research gap. Drawing on agency and human capabilities frameworks, we examined the contextual elements that influence a board’s decision to pursue temporary leadership. Within a sample of 375 successions occurring between 1998 and 2005, we found that boards of directors were more likely to select interim CEOs under certain succession conditions, namely, when the prior CEO was forced out and there was no heir apparent or when the prior CEO had served for a short tenure. Our results highlight the importance of context in succession selections and provide insights into why a board would pursue a decision with seemingly negative repercussions. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.