Reconsidering the affective character of relationships : strong ties and innovation

Scholars have found contradictory effects of strong ties in interfirm relations. They are considered both beneficial and detrimental for knowledge acquisition and innovation. In consequence, the debate on this paradox is flourishing. We wish to contribute to the discussion using a construct –relational bondingoriginally developed in studies on vertical interfirm relationships in business-to-business markets. The approach distinguishes between structural bonding and social bonding, which allows us to consider the two different components of tie strength put forward in Granovetter’s seminal work: respectively the behavioral -frequency of social interaction and reciprocal services characterizing the relationship and the affective ones -the emotional intensity and the intimacy that characterize the tie. Submitted to Technovation 2 By explicitly measuring and appreciating also the more neglected affective component of tie strength, we show that strong ties with key customers in their behavioral and affective componentspositively impact on innovation of SMEs located in an high tech cluster in central Italy, with knowledge acquisition moderating the relation.