Institutional works in scholarly networks: A rapprochement between agency and structure

Abstract

In an academic field, where does brand new idea come from? To understand how noble ideas emerge, this study elucidates how network brokers and high status actors contribute to the creation of knowledge institutions, by paying a specific attention to the interplay between institutional structure and an individual agency in academia. Although numerous scholars have been attempted to relieve the tensions around the agency versus structure debate, accurate explanations of interactive aspects between them are not well documented. To fill this void, this study suggests a conceptual model to explain the complementary and synergetic effects of network structure and agency on the knowledge innovation. In doing so, this study provide an answer to the question of why some actors often fail to obtain significant advantages from a privileged network position while others succeed.