Because of the specific characteristics of innovation communities, social relationships between community members play a pivotal role for performance in such settings. In response, Martin Dumbach takes a social capital perspective and approaches the research question: What are antecedents of social capital in corporate innovation communities? Using both qualitative as well as quantitative methods, the research presented offers interesting insights into the dynamics of the development of community networks. In more detail, the author describes innovation community social capital as a self-reinforcing asset that is affected by antecedents on the individual, the community, and the organizational level. These findings add to the literature on innovation communities and social capital and have important implications for community management.

Dr. Martin Dumbach received his PhD in economic sciences from the Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, where he worked as Research Associate for Prof. Dr. Kathrin M. Möslein at the Chair of Information Systems I – Innovation & Value Creation.