ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the innovation process and how innovations, new products, practices, or ideas are created and then diffused from a network analytic perspective. It begins by describing the network paradigm. Next, it describes a series of examples of the application of the network perspective to the innovation process at the cognitive, individual, and organizational levels. Then, it makes a number of actionable recommendations that managers can take to facilitate individual and organizational innovation by taking advantage of knowledge about information and social networks. The chapter ends by describing the diffusion of innovations and the role of social networks in this process.
