Network Churn – Drivers and Implications for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

This panel symposium intends to counterbalance the primarily static view on networks for innovation and entrepreneurship by drawing attention to the drivers and implications of network churn. Churn is the extent to which the composition of an individual’s or organization’s network changes from one period to the next. To date, neither the literature on organizational networks nor that on innovation and entrepreneurship research offer a thorough understanding of how networks are, or should be, adapted along the innovation and/or entrepreneurial process. Similarly, our understanding about the key drivers and implications of network churn lags well behind our understanding of the drivers and implications of (assumed) stable network structures. This knowledge is critical, however, as the success of innovative endeavors depends on how well actors are able to proactively adapt their networks and handle the consequences of churn. We bring together experts from the areas of organizational network research and innovation/entrepreneurship studies to take stock of the current state of research and, more importantly, develop future directions of study on network churn for innovation and entrepreneurial processes and outcomes. Concerning the drivers of network churn, a key question for discussion will be what influences individuals and organizations in innovation-intensive settings to purposefully change and adapt their network. With regards to the implications of network churn, we seek to open the discussion to the conditions under which innovators are likely to benefit from churn as a question of theoretical and practical relevance.