The search-transfer problem: The role of weak ties in sharing knowledge across organization subunits

This paper combines the concept of weak ties from social network research a nd the notion of complex knowledge to explain the role of weak ties in shar ing knowledge across organization subunits in a multiunit organization. I u se a network study of 120 new-product development projects undertaken by 41 divisions in a large electronics company to examine the task of developing new products in the least amount of time. Findings show that weak interuni t ties help a project team search for useful knowledge in other subunits bu t impede the transfer of complex knowledge, which tends to require a strong tie between the two parties to a transfer. Having weak interunit ties spee ds up projects when knowledge is not complex but slows them down when the k nowledge to be transferred is highly complex. I discuss the implications of these findings for research on social networks and product innovation.*