The Core and Cosmopolitans: A Relational View of Innovation in User Communities

Linus Dahlander, Lars Frederiksen · 2011 · Organization Science

Summary. User communities drive innovation through two key positions: core members who deeply engage within the community, and cosmopolitans who bridge multiple external communities. This study analyzed online community interactions, surveys, and interviews to show that innovation emerges not just from individual traits but from relational structures. Communities enable distinctive behaviors that traditional organizations cannot, amplifying innovation through strategic positioning within and across networks.

Read the original

@article{dahlander-2011-core-cosmopolitans-relational-view-innovation,
  title   = {The Core and Cosmopolitans: A Relational View of Innovation in User Communities},
  author  = {Linus Dahlander and Lars Frederiksen},
  journal = {Organization Science},
  year    = {2011},
  doi     = {10.1287/orsc.1110.0673},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1110.0673}
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - The Core and Cosmopolitans: A Relational View of Innovation in User Communities
AU  - Linus Dahlander
AU  - Lars Frederiksen
JO  - Organization Science
PY  - 2011
DO  - 10.1287/orsc.1110.0673
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1110.0673
ER  - 

Details

DOI

10.1287/orsc.1110.0673

Countries

Germany, Denmark

Regions

Europe

Categories

innovation-networks, innovation-theory, general-innovation

Added

2026-04-28