The Anatomy & Dynamics of Vision Advantages

The Strength of Weak Ties and Brokerage Theory rely on the argument that weak bridging ties deliver novel information to brokers. Yet, very little empirical evidence exists to validate this claim. Analyzing an evolving corporate email network, we investigate the dynamic mechanisms that enable the “vision advantage”. Three results emerge. First, we confirm the Diversity-Bandwidth Tradeoff at the heart of the vision advantage: As brokers’ networks becomes more diverse, their channel bandwidth contracts, creating countervailing effects on access to novel information. Second, we uncover the mechanics driving the Diversity-Bandwidth Tradeoff and highlight differences in vision advantages across ties: Strong cohesive ties deliver greater information diversity and more total non-redundant information, while weak bridging ties contribute the greatest uniqueness information which is most different from what other contacts deliver. Third, network stability increases the novelty brokers receive over time, providing the first evidence of the role of network dynamics in vision advantages.