The effect of social capital on exploration and exploitation

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to enter the debate on the antecedents of knowledge \nexploration and exploitation by investigating the role of social capital and environmental dynamisms. \nThe contribution is grounded on existing insights that no empirical evidence exists on the link \nbetween social capital and exploration/exploitation behaviors. \nDesign/methodology/approach – The model considers three social capital dimensions – structural, \nrelational and cognitive. It also considers the moderation effect of environmental dynamism on the link \nbetween social capital and knowledge exploration and exploitation. Head physicians from Italian \nhospitals were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. The data set consists of 174 observations, \nanalyzed using seemingly unrelated regression techniques. \nFindings – This research provides evidence of the positive effect of structural, relational and \ncognitive social capital on knowledge exploration and exploitation – thus adding to a literature which \nhas thus far concentrated on contextual and structural properties. Cohesive and strong ties are \ninstrumental to gain access to external knowledge assets and stimuli, and to recombine the knowledge \navailable within the unit. \nPractical implications – The results can support hospital managers in designing initiatives that \nrecognize the centrality of network ties for strategies of continuous improvement. Social networks \nrepresent the locus in which hospital units can identify and acquire knowledge from outside and the \nlocus in which knowledge can be shared and recombined. Managers should encourage initiatives that \nsupport systematic connections among units. \nOriginality/value – This research provides evidence of the positive effect of structural, relational \nand cognitive social capital on knowledge exploration and exploitation – thus adding to a literature \nwhich has thus far concentrated on contextual and structural properties. Cohesive and strong ties \nare instrumental to gain access to external knowledge assets and stimuli, and to recombine the \nknowledge available within the unit. The results adds to conflicting evidence on environmental \ndynamism –shown here to exert a direct positive impact on exploitation and exploration, as well as \nto moderate the link between relational and structural social capital and exploration.

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